The Bear
by Windyfontaine
Summary: Missing hikers lead the Winchester brothers to a possibly possessed bear. My first Supernatural fic. Last chapter up! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, I couldn't have continued without all your support. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own Supernatural or the characters of Sam and Dean, sigh. Please don't sue, I have a cat to support :)

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"Sam, drop!"

Sam heard Dean call out to him and years of training kicked in. He immediately ducked to the ground as the rock salt bullets flew over his head to strike the creature he'd been battling square in the heart.

He felt it thud down next to him and he rolled away and into a standing position.

"Not bad, if I do say so myself." Dean smirked as he observed the perfect bullet placement.

"Yeah, but where were you five minutes ago when it attacked? I was supposed to read the incantation and you were supposed to have my back." Sam complained

"Uh, about that. See, this pretty girl needed directions just as I was coming into the park-"

"Never mind." Sam rolled his eyes at his brother.

They were in Cheesequake State Park after a number of mysterious disappearances of hikers had made headlines. Sam had found the story and read about the fact that after a week each hiker had strangely reappeared with no memory of where they had been or how they had gotten there. So far no one had died, but a couple of hikers were still missing, though it had been 5 days so far and their families were hoping they would return as well. After researching the Park and coming up with nothing, Dean and Sam had decided to try a general exorcism of the area. Sam had hiked along the path that the missing hikers had said they followed and brought out his Dad's journal. Dean had been parking the car and grabbing supplies from the trunk. Sam had expected his brother to be right behind him, and when he felt a presence assumed it was Dean. When he turned around to look, a large furry arm had swiped at him.

"You okay?" Dean asked, looking him over.

Sam dusted himself down.

"Fine. It didn't touch me."

He looked down at the still brown lump.

"You think it's dead?" he asked Dean.

The lump twitched, and the brothers could hear a low growl.

"I'd say that's a no." Dean replied.

They backed away carefully.

"Did you happen to bring regular bullets?" Sam asked his brother.

"If I say no, will you distract it till I get back?"

"No." Sam replied.

Dean grinned. "Good thing I brought a back-up, then," he said as he drew a pistol from behind his back, aiming it at the slowly rising creature.

It bared its teeth at them, then suddenly lunged up and disappeared into the trees surrounding them.

Dean had been able to only get off one shot, which missed.

"What was that thing, anyway?" he muttered.

"It looked like a bear, but it didn't behave like one. Do you think that's what took our missing hikers?" Sam asked as the brothers tried to follow the not-bear's path.

"Well, seeing as you were hiking and it tried to grab you, there's a good chance it is. I don't understand, though. Unless it somehow knocks the hikers out and they get amnesia and after a week wander back home-"

Dean shook his head. "It isn't like any animal attack I've ever heard of." A sudden thought brightened his outlook. "You think maybe a spook possessed a bear? Did it act possessed?"

Sam snorted. "No, it acted like it wanted to eat me."

"Maybe it isn't our hiker-snatcher, then. Might as well see for sure though."

The brothers followed a path of broken branches, their senses alert.

After a few minutes Dean wrinkled his nose.

"What's that smell?" he asked.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I don't own Supernatural or the Winchesters, sigh. I also don't own Cheesequake State Park and any resemblance to actual park trails or topography is purely imaginary. I did use to like going to the man-made lake there but I never got up enough interest to actually go hiking, though it is beautiful.

Ghostwriter, thanks for reviewing-nope, not ozone :) Everyone have a good day!

Sam looked down and tried to stop the silly grin from spreading over his face.

"Um, you don't want to know." he choked out.

Dean looked down and cursed.

He carefully stepped out of the pile he'd been too distracted looking around the woods to avoid.

Sam snickered and Dean glared at him, wiping off his shoe.

"Fine" he huffed. "Next time a possessed bear tries to eat you don't come crying to me."

Just then there was a loud crackling of branches somewhere ahead of them.

Suddenly watchful the brothers picked their way forward until they came to a clearing.

The large bear was furiously digging in a corner of the clearing.

Abruptly it stopped and dragged something from the hole-a red backpack. It pawed through the backpack until some energy bars fell out, and then proceeded to eat them, clawing the wrappers open. It sat down on the ground much like a human and unlike a bear, enjoying its meal.

"Huh." Dean said. "What'd I tell you? Possessed bear. The spook must be a hiker and misses all that granola crap, that's why it snatched the hikers."

He took careful aim with the gun.

"Wait a minute!" Sam hissed at him.

"What?"

"If it did take the hikers it's also been letting them go after a week. There are 2 still missing-we have to find them first before we dispel the ghost and stop the bear. If you kill it they might die before we can find them."

Dean blinked. "Oh. Right. So, we just follow it for 2 days and make sure it doesn't snatch anyone else?"

Sam nodded.

"Darn." A thought occurred to Dean. "What're we going to eat?"

Sam grinned and reached into the bag he'd all but forgotten hanging off his shoulder.

"Want a granola bar?" he asked.

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Dean sighed for the third time in as many minutes and Sam glared at him.

"Will you knock that off?" he whispered. "You don't want it to hear us, do you?"

They had been observing the bear for hours. After eating the bear had settled in for a nice long nap and still showed no signs of stirring.

Dean was beyond bored.

"At this rate those hikers will be back home before we can find them." He muttered.

"And that's a bad thing?" Sam whispered back. "I'm beginning to think it isn't this bear that took the hikers."

"But it did act strange though, and it knew where that backpack was. I just wish it would do something." Dean replied.

At that moment the bear finally rose from its place on the ground and snagging the backpack it moved off into the woods.

Glancing at each other, the brothers followed.

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A short while later the bear stopped to drink from a small pond. It suddenly stood up on its two hind legs and moved its head around, sniffing the air. Dean and Sam crouched back behind the shelter of a large tree and waited. With a grunt, the bear fell back to all fours and charged further into the woods away from the Winchesters. The brothers broke into a run, following the animal, losing sight but not sound of it. They came to a panting halt at a cleared area, almost a perfect circle of empty space and forest floor. The red backpack was lying almost in the exact center. Two paths of broken branches led away from the clearing, and the brothers could hear the bear noisily in the distance, but it was impossible to tell which path the sounds came from. Sam looked at the backpack innocently lying on the otherwise empty ground, then at his brother.

"So, we get the backpack and then which path?"

Dean shrugged. "I think it went on the left path."

"What makes you say that?"

"Branches look more recently broken."

Sam nodded and started to head for the backpack, Dean following.

Dean paused when he heard a distant roar, and then the sound came closer. It was coming from the path on the right, and he fixed his attention at that opening, when he heard Sam cry out. He turned immediately to where his brother had been moments ago, but Sam was gone.

"SAM!" Dean yelled.

To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I am so so sorry this took so long. I had horrible writer's block with this, I now realize one should have at least some idea of where a story is headed before posting it :)I did spend a lot of time doing research and found absolutely nothing about possessed bears, except for a book that is more of an allegory, so this is uncharted territory. Thanks for reviewing and hanging in there, I have a general outline now so the updates will hopefully be faster. Have a good day!

Sam blinked, and then shook dirt out of his hair. Dazed, he looked around the hole he'd fallen into when he'd reached the backpack. He realized it must have been a trap-anything heavier than the backpack would break through the concealing dirt and twigs.

He heard Dean calling for him, and yelled back, "Down here!"

Dean's shape appeared at the edge of the hole. The sun was going down, and it almost appeared as though his brother had a halo around him. Sam grinned at the thought.

"You okay?" Dean asked, shading his eyes and looking down at Sam.

"Yeah, fine. Be careful, though." Sam said, attempting to rise from his sprawled position on the ground. He winced in pain when he put weight on his left foot. Before he could tell Dean or even look around the hole he heard a distant roaring, soon getting closer.

"What is that?" he called out to his brother.

"I think your bear friend is back and it isn't happy!" Dean yelled down to him.

Sam looked around desperately for a way out of the hole, but the sides were steep, several feet above his head and soft-it looked like if he tried climbing out the dirt would cave in on top of him. He pulled a flashlight out of his pack for better visibility. The hole was roughly rectangular-shaped and three of those bears would be able to fit comfortably. Sam's attention was jerked back toward the surface when he heard a shot ring out, then two. Dean's body no longer blocked the fading light and Sam called to him, concerned.

"Dean!"

The name had barely left his mouth when abruptly his brother jumped lightly into the opening next to him. Startled, Sam dropped the flashlight.

He could still see Dean's white smile when his brother turned to him, and asked, "Miss me?"

"What are you doing down here!" Sam hissed, hearing an angry-sounding roar above their heads.

"Well I didn't feel like being the main course for Smokey up there and the bullets didn't seem to affect it, so I opted for door number two."

Sam shook his head and retrieved the flashlight. Hearing a loud growling above their heads, he clicked it off. His eyes met Dean's in the shadows and as one they pressed back against the dirt walls of the hole, trying to be invisible. It seemed to work, as the bear gave a long, frustrated-seeming cry and then lumbered off, the ground shaking then leveling off as it went further away. Sam heaved a sigh of relief and then groaned as he put weight on his ankle. Dean's attention was immediately drawn to him.

"You okay?" his brother asked.

Sam nodded, and then realized it was getting too dark for Dean to see the gesture.

"I'm fine." He replied, turning the flashlight back on.

He shined it around, seeing nothing but bare dirt walls and packed ground with dirt and twigs lying upon it, along with the ubiquitous red backpack.

"Nice digs you've discovered." Dean said dead-pan.

"What were you thinking, though?" Sam asked him. "I'm pretty sure we didn't bring climbing equipment. You could have run, and come back for me later with some rope or something. Now we're both stuck here."

Dean made a show of looking around. "I dunno. A TV, some chips, this could work." He shook his head. "I didn't exactly have all the time in the world, y'know. I hit that thing dead center twice and it just charged faster. I don't think I could have outrun it."

Sam shrugged, conceding the point.

"Think we should use silver bullets next time?" he asked.

"Worth a try." Dean replied, snagging the backpack. "Maybe this could tell us something."

Unfortunately, the flashlight's batteries chose that moment to start the light flickering.

"Uh, I think it might be a good idea to get out of here first, before the bear comes back." Sam said.

Dean gave a nod. He looked up then back at his brother.

"Come here and I'll give you a boost up and when you're out you can pull me up."

"Okay." Sam replied, and Dean slung the red backpack over a shoulder and cupped his hands.

Sam put the flashlight back in his pack and placed his right foot in Dean's hand, steadying his own on his brother's shoulders.

Dean lifted him, grunting. "This was a lot easier when you were younger."

"Nag, nag." Sam replied, reaching upward and trying to heave himself over the edge of the hole.

His left leg flailed and hit one of the walls hard. He screamed at the sudden jolt of pain, lost his balance and toppled backward.

"Sam!" Dean yelled, doing his best to catch him.

One of Sam's out flung hands clawed dirt from a wall as he went down.

Soon he was sitting on the ground, Dean's worried eyes gazing at him.

"Well," he swallowed, "That went well."

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" Dean asked him. He sounded angry.

"I didn't think it was that bad."

Dean shook his head, then gently probed Sam's ankle. He yelped when his brother pressed too hard.

"It's sprained." Dean said shortly.

"I kinda guessed that." Sam replied, getting the flashlight out again.

"Maybe I can boost you up and you can get to the Impala and get some supplies." Sam ventured.

"And leave you down here alone in the dark and wounded after alerting half the forest? Are you nuts?" Dean almost yelled at him.

"Um, maybe that's a bad idea." Sam agreed, playing the flashlight around the walls again, hoping to find something that would help them get out of there. Maybe some tree roots to hold as they climbed-his hands still worked. Then he stiffened.

"Uh, Dean? I think we have bigger problems."

Dean was still berating him but stopped at Sam's tone of voice. He looked where his brother was pointing the flashlight. In the flickering beam he could see where Sam had uncovered something as he'd fallen. They gleamed white in the intermittent light. Bones. A lot of them.

To be continued.

Applegrape8910, thanks for the praise. Here (finally!) is more :)

Solus Nemo, I haven't read that book but I know of it. They are actually in production for a movie of it now, internet movie database has details.

Thanks for saying you like my poor little story, I hope the wait is worth it :)

A-blackwinged-bird, I'm always partial to Sam angst, though Dean is cool too. We'll see where this goes.

Ghostwriter, thanks for reviewing, sorry this took so long. Luckily Sam didn't need too much saving, this time (grin).


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't own these characters or the show Supernatural, sigh. Just borrowing them for a little fic.

A/N 2: I'm sorry this took awhile. I kept at writing it and I'm not completely thrilled with it but I figure if I just post it already maybe I can move on to the next chapter. No cliffy this time at least :)

Dean stared at the bones in the uncovered earth, then the flashlight died completely and they were left in the dark. The moon was not yet up, but Dean could feel that his brother was still in front of him.

"Sam," he quietly said his brother's name, not knowing why he felt like whispering.

"Yeah?" Sam's voice drifted to him, equally hushed.

"You still have that emergency light stick I gave you to put into your pack?" he asked.

A momentary silence, then, "Yeah. Hold on."

There was a rustling and then the sound of a package tearing. A tiny snap could be heard and then a dim yellow light illuminated the hole. It gradually grew stronger, and Dean could see Sam's face in the glow.

He held out his hand, and Sam gave him the light stick. Dean raised it nearer to the bones, and looked at them closely. He frowned.

"Hey, you know, I don't think they're human." He told his brother.

"What are they, then?" Sam asked.

"Some kind of animal, I think. I've seen enough bodies to know the difference."

Sam cocked his head in thought.

"This might sound strange, but you think it could be the bones of a bear?"

"Why?" Dean asked him.

"Just a hunch."

Dean took another look. "Yeah, maybe." He swung the light stick to look at Sam. "It doesn't help us get out of here, though."

"Think we should wait for morning?"

The normal night sounds of the forest drifted down to them from the top of the hole.

Dean eyed his brother. "You should really get some ice on that sprain. And I'd rather not be down here in the dark if that bear decides to come back. We go with the original plan-only you'll boost me up, and I'll drag you out."

Sam nodded, and wincing in pain managed a half-crouch and then gave his brother a boost up. Dean held the light stick in his teeth for visibility as he went up and climbed over a top edge of the hole, the red backpack still over one shoulder. He finally swung himself over onto solid ground, and immediately looked around to see if anything menacing was nearby, but the clearing was empty.

"Okay, all clear. I'm going to throw you the light stick." He told Sam, leaning over the hole.

"Okay." Sam said, wanting his brother to hurry. Now that he knew he was sharing quarters with a dead possible bear, the hole in the dark was actually a bit creepy.

The light stick landed on the ground next to him, and he picked it up. Rising, he lifted the arm with the light stick and Dean gripped his forearm. His brother lay nearly flat on the ground for balance and dug one hand into the dirt for leverage as he heaved.

Sam scrabbled at the dirt wall, trying to dig in a handhold to help lift himself. At last he was over on the ground beside his brother, both of them panting.

"Next time you see something red saying 'come get me' you leave it, got it?" Dean finally gasped out.

"Let's just hope it gives us some clues." Sam replied.

After resting a few minutes they decided to peruse the backpack once they were safely in the car. They would come back the next day during daylight to check out the bones and continue the search for whatever was taking the hikers. Sam limped behind his brother to the edge of the clearing and Dean grabbed a handy tree branch to make a splint for Sam's ankle with part of the spare T-shirt in his pack. With another tall branch to use as a makeshift walking stick and after dry swallowing a couple of aspirin Sam was ready to follow his brother to the Impala.

They went slowly, lighting the way when necessary with the light stick and trying not to attract any attention of the ursine variety. Finally they reached the spot Sam had first met the bear and Dean halted, holding out his hand to stop Sam from moving forward. Sam looked at him questioningly.

"Just want to be careful." Dean whispered to him and he nodded. They looked around carefully but it was quiet, except for the normal forest sounds. They made it back to the parking lot without any further complications and Dean sighed in relief at the sight of his car.

Nate and Jake, thanks for reviewing! I originally thought thiswas goingto be one of those humorous light stories but it morphed on me so I guess we'll find out together about the drama :), Solus Nemo, thanks for the review! Nothing bad in this chapter really, my muse hid on me, but maybe after the newest episode it'll reappear and be scarier ;), Ghostwriter, glad you liked, I know this chapter is lame in comparison but hopefully the next will be better, pmsdevil01, I love your screenname, it is so true for me lol, glad you like it and I hope you stick with it, Michelle P., thanks for reading and reviewing, I plan on continuing this, I think I just needed a new episode to inspire me, Lu14, thanks for reviewing and I'm definitely going to keep working on this. Now I just watched a new ep and another one that looks really good is going to air next week so I plan to have a new chapter out by then. Everyone have a great week!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I don't own these characters or the show they came from. I also don't own a big screen tv on which to drool over (ahem, watch) them.

A/N 2: Warning for a scene of violence in a dream sequence. I raised the rating of the story just in case.

A short time later the brothers Winchester were ensconced in the motel room they had checked into upon arriving in the town adjoining the Park. Dean grabbed the ice bucket and left to get ice and munchies. Sam laid the branch he'd used as a walking stick along the floor on the side of his bed, figuring it had worked well enough and they would be back at the Park walking the next day anyway. He grabbed a clean T-shirt and sweats and carefully made his way into the bathroom, sighing in relief as the water from the shower pulsed over his body.

A few minutes later he emerged from the bathroom and cautiously limped to his bed, seeing his brother, the big softy, had placed a pillow at the foot for him to rest his ankle on. The first aid kit and a full bucket of ice lay on the nightstand by the bed, along with an assortment of junk food. Sam bit his lip to keep from smiling.

"About time you got out of there, there are other people needing hot water too, you know." Dean grumbled.

"I left you enough. Besides, you're the one that normally snags it all." Sam said, settling down on the bed and grabbing the sturdy plastic ice bag they used for injuries and filling it.

"Ah, but I miss that steam shower in Oklahoma. None of these motel ones can come close." Dean sighed, remembering, then grabbed a clean pair of sweats and disappeared into the bathroom.

Sam grinned and a short while later was propped up against the headboard, the first aid kit closed, his ankle raised on the pillow surrounded by the ice pack and flipping through channels on the motel room's television. He picked through Dean's choices for dinner and disregarded the peanut M and M's, the chips, and the processed cheese and found a lone energy bar, which he snagged. He grabbed a bottle of water and settled back to watch the documentary of lighthouses which was the only alternative to the inane comedies on the few other channels available.

Dean emerged toweling his hair, observed Sam resting and asked, "Anything good on?"

"A documentary on lighthouses of the Northeast." Sam replied.

Dean sighed. "That stuff will rot your brain, Sammy."

Sam hid a smile. "Actually, some of them might be haunted. And it's Sam."

His brother perked up. "Yeah? Which ones?"

"Guess you'll have to watch to find out."

Dean tossed the towel at the bathroom and settled on his bed, opening a soda and taking a healthy swig and then taking the chips and cheese.

An hour later he groaned dramatically. "Not a single mention of ghosts, Sam."

Sam just shook his head. He'd alternated leaving the ice on and taking it off. His brother came over and took a look.

"Not much swelling. Good, you can keep up tomorrow." Dean was privately relieved; an unexpected fall could have ended far worse.

"Think we should try researching in the library again?" Sam was game to delve through dated material again to find if any hikers had gone missing in the past, but when they had first arrived they'd come up with a dead end.

"Well, if we don't find the missing hikers tomorrow they should show up the following day if it follows the pattern. I'd like to go back and check out those bones- that hole sure seemed like a hiker trap."

"Yeah." Sam yawned, and was too slow to keep his brother from seizing the remote and changing channels. He was forced to watch one of the comedies, but it didn't hold his attention and he soon drifted off to sleep.

Dean glanced at his brother and checking to make sure Sam was really out he laid the motel's thin blanket over the sleeping form.

"Sleep well, Sammy." He whispered, then shut off the television and settled in his bed.

_He was splashing in the stream, his littermates nearby. His brother and sister were more adept at catching fish, but he preferred to play. His mother always gave him food anyway, and recently had started to teach him how to dig the succulent grubs from the rotted logs near their den. He heard a strange noise and looked up, and saw a strange creature standing upright like his mother sometimes did to reach the high berries. He looked curiously at the half bare face and the strange thing on the creature's head. It was holding a long stick, which it pointed at his brother and sister. Suddenly there was a loud booming noise and he blew loudly, frightened. His brother let out a grunt and fell into the stream, a dark stain spreading on the water. His sister clacked her teeth and growled, turning to lumber up the opposite bank. The booming noise sounded again and his sister squealed a sound like he had never before heard, sliding back into the water. He got a whiff of a strange odor he had never smelled before. Truly frightened, he cried in distress for his mother, who had been off gathering food. He saw the strange stick aimed at him, and turned and fled towards the den. He heard the booming noise again and felt incredible pain, losing his balance and falling to the ground. As the world began to fade around him he heard his mother's growl and saw her charge at the strange creature. He barely heard the booming sound as a furrow raced across his mother's shoulder. The last thing he saw was the creature running away, his mother moaning in grief._

Sam jerked awake, breathing harshly. He'd thrashed his legs around the bed, and his ankle throbbed.

In the next bed Dean raised his head asking sleepily, "You okay, Sammy?"

Sam swallowed and blew out a breath.

"Yeah, just a bad dream."

He wondered, though. He had a gut deep feeling that the bones they had stumbled across were those of the bear cubs in his nightmare.

* * *

Ghostwriter, thanks a lot. And your stories are in no way lame-just look at the reviews, Nate and Jake, here you go, and yes those previews are cool, Solus Nemo, not really a cliffhanger this time either :), thanks so much for reviewing, Applegrape8910, sorry I missed thanking you in the last chapter-I'm writing slowly, bit by bit till there's enough to post :), Phx, glad you're enjoying the story and I like Sam angst and protective Dean too :) Everyone have a good week! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I don't own the show Supernatural or it characters, though I wouldn't mind taking a ride in the Impala with Sam and Dean.

A/N 2: Um, I know this took awhile, but I promise I never forgot about it, was job hunting but the hunt is over, I got a job in my field! Only part time, but I was singing along with AC/DC today in my car listening to "Back in Black" which was playing on the local classic rock station. This show has me so hooked I now listen regularly :) It was like fate, so I knew I had to post today, even though the chapter is short. But the muses are hopefully back for good, and I'll try to update more regularly.

Dean looked at his brother, more awake now.

"Was it one of those dreams?" he asked.

Sam glanced back, and then shrugged. "I don't know." He said honestly. "It was different."

"Different how?" Dean wanted to know. If Sam's dreams could help them solve the case he was all for it. It had freaked him out at first, then he realized it was like having an ace up the sleeve.

Sam sighed, but gave in. He described what he'd seen, that it was almost as if he was experiencing it first hand. Dean was silent at first, then noticed his brother shifting his ankle uncomfortably. He looked at the clock, noting it was five am. A bit early, but he and Sam usually started early anyway. Mentally shrugging, he decided neither of them was getting back to sleep.

"Dude, that was a weird one, even for you. Either you're letting your imagination get carried away…"

"Or it might have something to do with the missing hikers. Well," Sam said, also looking at the clock "might as well get breakfast and see what we can find out from that backpack. None of the hikers that returned said they lost one. I kinda forgot about it last night."

"Well, we both had other things on our minds." Dean said, thinking about his brother's sprained ankle and the mystery of the bones.

"How's the ankle?" he asked.

Sam tried moving it and winced. "Better. Think I'll take some painkiller and put more ice on before we head out."

Dean nodded and rose from his bed, stretching. He padded to the bathroom, then got dressed and snagged the ice bucket, leaving the room and returning a few minutes later with an ice instead of water filled container. Sam was dressed except for socks and shoes, and smiled his thanks as he filled the ice pack. Folding it around his ankle, he scooted back on the bed to make room for Dean and the red backpack.

The brothers looked at each other, then Dean started opening pouches. There were a few more granola bars, a flashlight, a pen and a pad-they examined it eagerly, but other than instructions to the park it was empty-some bandages, sun block with insect repellent, a coin purse with a lot of change in it-"to leave a trail of pennies if they get lost?" Dean asked, Sam shrugged-and a bottle of water. Sam looked in the main compartment, which had another bottle of water and a map of the park. Upending it, he shook out the backpack until it was empty. A set of keys fell out as well as a photo, slightly wrinkled. Dean snagged the photo, which was in black and white of a man with his arm around a woman. Both were smiling, and they were standing in front of a picnic table, with a stream and woods in the background. He turned it over, and read "Josh and Marie, 2005 vacation".

"Why do those names sound familiar?" Dean muttered.

"Because they are." Sam replied. "Josh Martin and Marie Dinsella are the last two missing hikers. The ones who are hopefully due back tomorrow, if this thing follows the pattern."

"Unless we find them first. Come on, I'm starved. I haven't even had any coffee yet."

"Okay, okay" Sam said, shoving the items back into the backpack. If the two hikers returned, he would drop off their pack for them. Before leaving the motel room, he put on an ankle brace and grabbed the walking stick.

A short while later found the brothers settled in a local diner, eating breakfast and flirting with the waitress. Dean was actually doing the flirting; Sam was flipping through the local paper to make sure no other hikers had gone missing since the last two. Sighing, he was about to give up and started folding the newspaper when a small headline caught his interest.

The pretty brown haired waitress walked off smiling, and Dean turned to his brother, noticing that Sam's plate was still half full.

"Hey, you gonna eat that?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Sam replied absently.

"Your food." Dean said. "You have to keep up your strength if you want to walk back to that hole."

"Okay." Sam said, and not taking his eyes from the small print he started eating again.

"So what is it?" Dean sighed impatiently. Sam had that preoccupied air about him that meant he was on to something.

"Oh." Sam blinked and looked up, finished with his food. He grinned at his brother.

"You found something." It was a statement.

"I think so." Sam nodded. "Take a look. Bottom of page 15 on the left."

Dean accepted the newspaper from Sam and read where indicated.

"A museum opening?" he raised his brows.

Sam sighed. "Keep reading."

Dean did so, mumbling under his breath what seemed to be salient points.

"New wing added on, yadda yadda, restoration, artifacts from the 1800's, new display of mummified bodies discovered three months ago...wait a minute!" he looked up into Sam's excited face.

Without waiting for his brother to even ask the question, Sam nodded. "The first of the hikers started disappearing three months ago-just when the mummies were found and moved. Found in an abandoned field right next to Cheesequake Park."

The brothers shared a look.

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Nate and Jake, I apologize for not updating sooner, but things are starting to come together, so hopefully the wait won't be so long till the next chapter, Solus Nemo, thanks for sticking with this, yes it was sad, but unfortunately necessary for the story-I do hate poachers with a passion, though, Ghostwriter, sorry to make you almost cry, at least this chapter is less tear-inspiring :) Have a good day!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: I don't own Sam, Dean, any Chevy Impala (though I used to have a Nova) or anything related to the show Supernatural. Also, this Cheesequake Park bears no resemblance to the real one in NJ and the surrounding town and things discovered in this fic are entirely a product of my strange imagination (except amber is real).

A/N 2: I meant to update last Tuesday when the show was off but got caught up with a new job so I apologize for the delay. I have been able to read and enjoy other people's work here however-I have no idea how so many of you can update so regularly-you ought to bottle it and sell it to Supernatural fans :) This chapter is a little short-I'm still working on more of it and my other story (hangs head), but Beautiful Ally mentioned me and this story in her author notes so I felt I had to post-she has a great new story up called GoodNight Sammy-you can go read that and her other stories too, they're good :)

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After breakfast, the brothers decided to give the local library a try for more information before they headed out, and expanded their search to the field next to the park. The library was modern and two stories, with self service computers and microfilm machines. Sam happily delved into the research while Dean unobtrusively checked out the female library workers. To his disappointment, most were too young.

"Pages." Sam told him.

"Huh?" he replied.

"Most libraries hire young pages to do the shelving and stuff. It gives them extra credit and counts for community service." Sam expanded.

Dean stared at him. "And you know this because…"

Sam flushed and muttered under his breath as he turned back to the microfilm machine.

Dean crowded next to his brother. "I didn't get that."

"I said I spent a lot of time when I was younger and not allowed on hunts yet in the library. Remember when we needed extra research done and I always had a book with the information about what we needed ready? Where do you think I got the books from?" Sam asked him.

"Uh, a bookstore that you swiped it from?" Even as he answered Dean was remembering that a lot of the books had seemed well-worn, as though they had been in a library and used by a lot of people.

Sam sighed. "No, I never liked doing that. And when some of the copies got damaged and destroyed, I did some work in the library to pay it off."

Dean stared at him in amazement. "Is that why you were so freaked when the werewolf tore that book of yours up? I thought you were just sulking for three weeks afterward. You mean you were working in the library all that time?"

His brother shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. And I got to see a whole lot of different books-any time one seemed like it might have to do with our kind of thing I made a note of it. That's how I always had just the right books ready for research when you and Dad were going on a hunt. I felt I was kinda doing my part." Sam ducked his head.

"Oh." Was all Dean could come up with.

Sam had turned back to read the displayed information. "Got it."

Dean looked at the article Sam brought up. "Bodies discovered in abandoned field."

Sam continued. "The article says that three bodies from the early 1800's were discovered when the field was being surveyed for development. The bodies were so well preserved a superstitious worker thought they were mummies, from the stuff all over them. It turns out that it was dried resin."

"Resin?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

Sam nodded. "The bodies were covered in tree resin-it stopped the natural decay process. You know it better as amber-that's fossilized tree resin millions of years old. Apparently New Jersey has a lot of amber and resin-producing trees."

"And how did these bodies get covered, and who were they? There's too much coincidence for them not to be involved with the missing hikers." Dean stated.

Sam turned back to the article but frowned. "They were able to date the bodies, two boys and a girl from clothing and personal effects, but nothing on the bodies said who they were. The experts were able to ascertain that the three died of exposure, and were then covered by tree resin. Damaged trees produce the resin for protection-the bodies probably died by a damaged tree and the resin spread over them. Apparently the field was actually part of the forest at that time; it was cleared later in the 1900s for progress. Someone did have to bury the bodies though-probably a good samaritan that happened by, as there was no marker of any kind found with them. That's all that this article has-apparently no one was able to find out who the three were or to claim them, so the museum decided to make them part of an exhibit to draw crowds."

Dean shook his head. "That's just wrong. They should be given a decent burial, after they're salted and burned, of course. Wait, you said two boys and a girl?"

"Yes" his brother sighed. "The article just says they were young. They probably weren't the first kids to get lost in a forest and die, and won't be the last."

"Yeah, but this particular forest is making hikers disappear. I think we found our connection-maybe the spirits want company or something. We have to get a look at those bodies."

"We can go tomorrow when the display is open to the public. Maybe Josh and Marie will be back by then-the hikers after seven days just appear at the entrance to the Park with no memory of how they got there, or the time they were gone. Seven days…" Sam trailed off.

"Yeah, that sounded suspicious to me too. Unless-you think it took seven days for those kids to die?" Dean asked.

"It's possible. If so, the hikers are lucky that they return alive-in most of our cases the victims of things like this ended up dead. Unless by sending the lost hikers back alive the ghosts think they're somehow saving themselves?" Sam mused. "If it is the three kids' ghosts that we're dealing with."

"Why? What else would it be? You still think it's the bear that's snatching the hikers?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. I still feel like we're missing something."

"Well, you can think about it while we visit that field. We'll see what our equipment picks up." Dean said.

"If it is the ghosts of the three kids, how are we going to set them to rest? We can't exactly waltz into the museum and burn their exhibit down."

Dean smirked at his brother, a certain look in his eyes. Sam noticed the look and just shook his head, following his brother out of the library.

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Ghostwriter, thanks, and I'll catch your stories when you post again :), Nate and Jake, new episode this week! Here's more, sorry it took awhile, Applegrape8910, I love learning about ancient Egypt and mummies, and I hope the rest of this story lives up to yourthoughts of it :), Lu 14, I'm still writing, just the slowest updater in the East, lol, Beautiful Ally, thanks so much for reviewing! Glad you like this, I'll try to update it more regularly.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Nope, don't own them. If I did, I'd make sure there was a second season-though it seems there will be, so I'm happy :)

A/N 2: Though archaeology interests me, I probably got this part wrong, what happens when a find is made. I always loved science, but alas did better with writing and language. Sorry for any mistakes. And thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 8

Sam consulted the map he'd printed out at the library and told Dean to turn left. They were almost there. The Impala pulled up in front of a chain link fence with a "No Trespassing" sign right next to a padlocked gate. Beyond the fence the field was dug up in parts but looked untouched in others. Bright orange tape attached to poles encircled one large open pit in the distance.

"They might as well have shouted 'Something big discovered here!'" Dean said to his brother, nodding at the pit as he opened the trunk.

"I'd be surprised if the place hasn't already been vandalized." Sam agreed, taking out the camera and a shotgun filled with rock salt bullets. Looking at his brother, he also took out a length of rope and a flashlight. He already had his walking stick branch from the car.

Dean grabbed a gun for himself and his homemade EMF meter as well as his new thermal scanner, which measured changes in temperature remotely. He picked up a small shovel then closed the trunk and the brothers walked to the fence, looking it over.

"They don't even have barbed wire on the top." Dean shook his head. "Amateurs. It's like they expect people to break in."

"Maybe they do. More publicity for the museum exhibit." Sam replied.

Shrugging, and making sure the fence wasn't electrified (it wasn't), he climbed over the obstruction and gingerly dropped to the other side. A less elegant thump alerted him to his brother's arrival. Together, they moved carefully toward the open pit, Dean using the EMF meter and Sam looking at the camera's screen. They reached the poles around the pit and looked at each other.

"I got nothing." Dean announced, switching to the thermal scanner. He shook his head at the lack of strange readings.

"Same here." Sam replied, seeing only what he should see on the screen-dirt, grass, poles and the yawning trench in front of him. He stretched his arm with the camera carefully over the tape and kept an eye on what it showed-just a lot more dirt and empty space, not a ghost to be seen.

"Think the ghosts are in the museum? There's nothing here." He said.

Dean shook his head. He also scanned the pit in front of him with both the instruments he carried, only to get no positive readings.

"Hmm. Guess one of us will have to actually go in there and check it out." He turned to his brother.

Sam swiveled his head and looked at his sibling incredulously. "Don't look at me. Hurt leg, remember?"

Dean sighed theatrically. "Fine. Make me do all the work. You are such a pansy."

Sam just shook his head. "Trying to make me feel guilty isn't going to work this time, bro."

Dean shrugged. "It was worth a shot. Hand over the light."

He shined the flashlight's beam over the pit then suddenly grinned, pointing out his find to his brother. Sam nodded, and moved with Dean over to the handy ladder that had been left by the far side. Securing the instruments and leaving the shovel up top for the moment, Dean carefully descended, pausing on the last step to check his surroundings with the EMF and thermal scanner. Reassured by the readings, he set foot on the ground of the trench. Nothing happened. He moved the light around him, noticing it was much more spacious than the hole Sam had fallen into. He saw three little flags incongruously stuck into one of the dirt walls, and then realized that was where the bodies must have been. Using the flashlight he peered intently, but only dirt was there. Moving the EMF meter right on top of the flags he got a weak reading, but it definitely wasn't screaming out. The scanner noted a slightly colder temperature, but it was as if this was merely a residue of what had been there, not an active presence.

"Hey Sammy, toss me the shovel."

"It's Sam, and here. Watch it." Sam replied, carefully lowering the shovel then gently dropping it at Dean's feet.

Figuring that the area right by where the bodies had been discovered would have been cleared of anything next to them, Dean swept the scanner around the dirt walls, and a few feet from the flags the temperature plummeted. Switching to the EMF, there was a positive reading-not as much as he would expect with a spirit, but definitely something. The flashlight showed only dirt, but Dean knew something had to be there. Securing the instruments again, he drew out the gun and held it with one hand as he gently dug into the dirt with the shovel with the other.

"Find anything?" Sam's voice drifted down to him.

"Maybe. Just a sec…" Dean replied, distracted.

"Aha. There you are." He muttered, noticing a faded and rotted cloth had been uncovered. There was still no screaming from the meter, so he didn't think it was another body-it was way too small.

Gently digging under the item into the dirt wall, he scooped it out with the shovel. It had once been a brightly colored cloth bag, but was definitely the worse for wear. Apparently the resin hadn't covered it completely, though he could see a thin film of some sort of substance that must have stopped the bag from completely decaying.

"What is it?" Sam called from the edge of the pit, and Dean noticed the worry and interest in his brother's voice.

"Give me a minute, I'll bring it up. Just want to cover our tracks first." Dean carefully patted some of the dirt back into place, trying to make it look like nothing had been disturbed.

Taking a final look around, he put away the gun and flashlight, held the shovel with the end holding his find horizontal, and carefully climbed the ladder. At the top, the brothers looked at each other. Sam moved the camera over the cloth bag, but didn't see anything unusual. Shrugging, he took out a knife and as cautiously as he could parted the material, knowing he was probably ruining a priceless artifact but solving the mystery came first. Inside was a well used and partially rotted diary.

"Now we're getting somewhere." Dean said with satisfaction.

Sam looked up, and hurriedly replied, "And we'd better be going now. I think the museum people are back."

He pointed with his head towards a side of the field opposite where the Impala sat parked. A large van with "Neptune Museum" lettered on its side was trundling along the road by the fence. In minutes it would be by the gate. Glancing at each other, the brothers broke into a run, Sam hobbling along as fast as his ankle would allow. They reached the car, tossed the supplies in the back and settled in their seats, Sam holding the bag with the diary on his lap, on top of a plastic bag they had received filled with snacks from their last stop. Dean hit the gas, and the Chevy surged away.

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Nate and Jake, thanks for reviewing :), Ghostwriter, thanks, and here's my phrase-have a good day :), Beautiful Ally, glad you like, and you're welcome :), and freaks are more common than you think :P, kokomocalifornia, thank you, and here you go :), Kaewi, I do plan on more action but this is what popped out first, hope you like and thanks for reviewing :)(p.s. I love Sam angst too), I-Like-Llamas, definitely going to finish this, wouldn't want to leave you hanging or suspended, and the bear has a reason for being mean, just bear (snicker) with me, and thanks for reviewing :) 


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Still don't own any of the characters from the show, but so long as they keep making episodes I'll keep watching.

A/N 2: I learned that leaving replies at the end of the story is very bad and can lead to my fic disappearing, so Kaewi, Nate and Jake, and Ghostwriter, thanks for the reviews! And thanks everybody else for reading this far :) Action will begin to pick up a bit now, though I think the first part is slow.

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"Where to now?" Sam asked.

"Don't know about you, but I'm still in a digging mood. Want to check out the bones in that pit? That was a ready made trap if I've ever seen one. The missing hikers had to be caught in it. Maybe we can find out more while it's light out." Dean said.

"Okay. Maybe there are some clues in this to tell us who the kids' bodies belonged to." Sam replied.

He gently started riffling through the diary on his lap, squinting at the script.

"Well?" Dean asked, glancing at his brother then back to the road.

"I think the diary belonged to the girl." Sam said.

"No kidding." Dean replied, rolling his eyes.

Sam read a few minutes in silence, stopping by the middle of the little book. "Her name was Elizabeth, brothers Joshua and Peter. They moved from the city to the country with their parents. Her dad built a cabin. They just moved in."

"And? Any last names? Brushes with ghosts? Cursed land? Nasty neighbors?"

Sam looked up and stared at his brother. "It's a little girl's diary, Dean. Mainly it's about how it's so boring the only excitement comes when they drive into town."

Dean sighed. "I'd hoped it would have told us something, why they're snatching the hikers now."

Sam shook his head. "Maybe it's towards the end. I'll go through it later." He said, carefully closing the old diary, as they had reached the park.

Dean stopped the car, and Sam got out and placed the diary gently on the back seat. Dean grabbed a ready bag from the trunk, and added some of the equipment from the back that they had used earlier. Zipping up the bag, he hefted it up and Sam shut the door, after picking up the shovel and his walking stick. The brothers set off for the hole, Sam wincing occasionally as he walked.

Dean glanced over at his brother, and shifting the bag dug into his pocket. "Here."

"Huh?" Sam asked. He reflexively caught the packet his brother threw at him, and looked at it. "Ibuprofen?"

"Yeah, your whining is getting on my nerves. Take the pain killers before I can't take it anymore." Dean muttered.

Sam grinned. "I didn't know you cared." He teased.

"Jerk." Dean said.

"Bitch." Sam replied, tearing open the packet and swallowing the pills.

A little while later they reached the clearing, and looked all around it, but there was no sign of the bear. Dean took out the EMF meter and swung it around, but it remained quiet. The thermal scanner produced no strange results as well. The brothers looked at each other, and then carefully made their way to the hole. Apparently no one else had been there, as it looked the same as when they left it. Dean dropped the bag and pointed his homemade meter in the hole and it began to gently whine.

"Think we've got something here." He stated. He switched to the scanner and noted a bit of a temperature drop, but it was similar to what it had recorded at the other site.

"Too bad there isn't a ladder here." He grumbled.

"It's not as deep as the other dig site. You can lower me with the rope, and pull me back up after I check it out." Sam said, taking a shotgun from the bag and picking up the rope.

"Wait a minute. Who said you're going down there? Remember the last time you went down in that hole?"

"Yeah, but it was my dream the other night. I think these are the bear cub bones, and I think there's a connection. Besides, you went down in the last pit, it's my turn." Sam replied.

"Oh no it's not. You have a hurt leg, remember?" Dean said, snatching the rope from Sam and beginning to tie it around himself.

"Hey!" his brother complained.

"Too slow, Sammy. Make yourself useful and toss the shovel down." Dean finished tying the rope, gave the other end to Sam, and crouched by the edge.

His brother sighed, but did as Dean asked, and gently began lowering him into the hole.

Dean looked around, using the thermal scanner. The colder spot was definitely by the bones in the wall. The sunlight filtered down and he found he didn't need a flashlight. Picking up the shovel, he gently began to dig into the wall holding the bones. The EMF meter lying in his jacket pocket began to whine.

"Sam, keep your guard up!" he called out.

Sam had heard the familiar noise and brought up the shotgun, his other hand holding the camera and panning it around him.

Dean dug around the bones, finally unearthing three skeletons and placing them on the floor of the hole. Nothing else was in the wall. The whine from the meter was getting louder, and the thermal scanner noted a much colder temperature. Brushing off his hands, he grabbed the gun and a baggie of salt from one of the jacket pockets.

"Think you were right about a connection. There's definitely something attached to these bones. And yeah, they're not human; they could be the bear cubs. There are three of them. Kinda weird, huh? Three dead bears and three dead kids. You getting anything up there?" After a moment when there was no response, he looked up. "Sammy?"

"Uh Dean? I don't think disturbing those bones was the best idea." Sam's voice was even.

Alarm spiked through the older brother. Keeping his voice level, he said, "What's happening?"

Then he heard it, a drumming in the ground heralding something large moving quickly. Something coming their way. 'Shit.' He thought. 'The bear is back.'

"Pull me up, Sam. I'm just going to salt the bones first."

Sam backed slowly to the hole's edge, seeing the tree limbs at the edge of the cleared area begin to shake. The camera's screen showed a large white orb floating into the clearing, and Dean's EMF meter began to shrill.

"Better do it quick!" he warned his brother.

Dean salted the bones, secured the equipment, grabbed the shovel which he figured he could use as a weapon if the bullets failed again and tugged on the rope. Laying the shotgun and camera on the ground right next to him, Sam grunted with effort and heaved his brother up. Dean scrambled over the edge and his eyes fell on the camera screen. The large white orb was making a beeline for them, and he could hear the bear roaring. He took out his gun and searched the bag for a lighter, cursing the fact that he'd forgotten to carry one with him.

Sam picked up the shotgun and camera and looked at the screen. The orb was almost upon them so he aimed where he thought it was and fired. The EMF meter abruptly went silent. Cocking his head, he looked at Dean, who shrugged, having found the lighter. The large bear entered the clearing on all fours, snuffling and swinging its head around.

Slowly leaning his hand over the edge above the salted bones, Dean flicked the lighter on. The bear snapped its gaze to him and roared loudly, lifting its upper body until it stood on its hind legs. Then it dropped to all fours again and charged.

Aiming the shotgun again Sam fired. The salt wouldn't kill it, but maybe the blast could slow it down. The bear just shuddered and ran faster, and before Sam could reload it reached him, swinging a massive front paw and knocking him flat.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, and emptied the gun, firing repeatedly at the bear.

It swerved, and Dean swore as the bullets passed harmlessly to the side. Before he was able to drop the lighter the bear was upon him. It easily swatted the lighter from his hand. The flame died and the now harmless object sailed into the hole. Dean threw himself to the ground and rolled, avoiding sharp teeth and claws. He scrambled backwards to where his brother lay, snagging the shovel. Raising the implement, he whacked the bear's paw as it swung at him. It cried out and faster than he could swing the shovel again it hit the side of his head hard. His vision dimmed and he fell.

Vaguely he saw the bear's shadow appear above him. It rose up on its hind legs and roared, and Dean tried to prepare himself for the mauling he knew was coming. He heard someone cry "No!" The bear's form shuddered from a loud noise, and Dean realized fuzzily it was the shotgun.

Sam cursed and reloaded faster than he'd ever done so before, barely aiming before firing at the large animal threatening his brother. Out of ammunition, he yelled and hit the bear on its back with the gun, swinging it like a club. He succeeded in getting its attention away from Dean. He succeeded too well. The bear twisted around and cuffed him, knocking him down again. Dazed, he watched as the bear dropped to all fours and seemed to pause-and the EMF meter suddenly went crazy.

Both brothers felt a sudden drop in temperature, and didn't need the scanner to tell them something was there. The cold seemed to flow past them to the bear, and the animal shuddered. Sam watched as the bear seemed to straighten, and then it looked directly at him. He swallowed as intelligence looked through the ursine eyes. Then the bear turned to look at Dean and growled, swatting at the older brother's head. Sam suddenly realized it somehow knew he had been about to destroy the bones. Groaning, he staggered to his feet, and reached for the shovel to protect his brother. Apparently the bear had other ideas, as it turned and hit Sam again. Before he could fall, he cried out as claws pierced his shoulder, dragging him back. He could feel blood running down the side of his head and from his shoulder and began to get dizzy. The bear effortlessly lifted him up and he thought blurrily that this wasn't normal behavior for bears, then thought, oh yeah, this one is possessed. Guess Dean was right. He felt himself being slung over a large body before he passed out.

Dean blinked, fighting to stay conscious. He had to save his brother. He tried to move towards a weapon and the world tilted on its axis. No, no, no he thought as things began to fade. "Sammy!" he tried to yell, but his lips wouldn't form the sound. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was his brother being carried away by the bear.

To be continued (evil laugh).

Sorry it took so long to update, I'll do my best to be better about that. Two part time jobs and another story all make time demands, but we're getting there. Thanks for reading :)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Still don't own the characters or the show. Good thing too, because being the horrible updater that I am the viewers would probably come at me with pitchforks for getting a new ep once every couple of weeks or so :)

A/N 2: Well, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry as they say. I'd planned on updating much sooner, but real life and two jobs said otherwise. Thanks for sticking with this :) Once again thanks so much for the reviews, Kaewi, pmsdevil01, pwrhungryir, Applegrape8910, and Beautiful Ally.

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Slowly Dean blinked his eyes open. Disoriented, he wondered at first where he was, seeing the empty clearing before him. Then he remembered.

"Sam!" he cried, not getting any response.

Slowly he got up, wincing at the pain in his head. He brought a hand up to the side of his face, feeling the dried blood. Shadows covered the clearing as late evening approached. He looked around desperately for any sign of his brother, but the clearing was empty. He was alone.

Dean swallowed, and slowly gathered the items spread on the ground, stuffing them back in the bag. He found the ammunition and loaded the weapons, securing them on his body under his jacket, then searched for lighter fluid and a pack of matches. Finding them, he unsteadily made his way to the hole, aimed a drizzle of the lighter fluid over where the salted bear cub bones lay and then put the container down. He pulled out a match then held it with the pack ready to strike it over the bones.

"Hey bear! Remember me? I'm gonna burn your babies unless you bring my brother back!" he yelled into trees he'd last seen the bear head towards.

He'd put two and two together and came up with the realization that the bear cub bones had to be connected with the bear somehow. At the very least he expected it to show up and stop him. The forest grew quieter at his bellow, but of the bear there was no sign.

"Last chance!" he shouted, lighting the match.

Nothing stirred.

"You asked for it!" He dropped the match, purposely missing the bones. It went out in the dirt on the bottom of the hole.

"What do you know? I missed. Bet I'll get it this time. You should get here quick, or their spirits are gone for good!" He was beginning to worry. Maybe the bear didn't need its dead cubs' bones anymore. It had Sam instead.

'Come on you bitch, bring Sam back here' he muttered under his breath, lighting another match and holding it.

Leaves moved in a slight breeze on the trees at the edge of the clearing, but there was no roaring or pounding beats.

"Fine! Be that way. Say goodbye to your cubs!" he shouted into the advancing night.

This time he dropped the match on the right spot and the bones began to blaze. He looked around the clearing, but it remained empty.

"Shit!" he kicked in frustration at the dirt floor of the clearing.

Smoke was beginning to rise from the hole and he grabbed the lighter fluid and put it back in the bag, grabbing a flashlight. 'Don't worry Sammy, I'll find you.' He muttered.

He whirled at a sudden sound at the edge of the clearing, then felt lightheaded.

"Hey, what are you doing out here? The park is closed for the night!" said a strong voice, as a tall man in a park uniform walked towards him.

As the man got closer, his face crinkled in concern. "Are you all right, son? What happened?"

Dean stared at him for a moment, wondering what lie to come up with. Then realizing that the guns and any evidence of wrongdoing were hidden (save for the burning bones) he decided on a form of the truth.

"My brother and I were hiking and got lost. We were attacked by a bear. The bear took him; I've got to find him!" He swayed dizzily from the smell of the smoke.

"Whoa, easy there. I see you lit a signal fire where it wouldn't harm the forest, but it's too dark now to search. It's very unusual for a bear to attack, but I'm sure your brother will be fine. Nobody's died of a bear attack in these parts for quite a while. People shooting bears, though…" the kindly older man shook his head sadly. "Come on son, let's get you some help. We'll search for your brother first thing in the morning."

"No! I gotta find him now. He needs me. I'll follow the tracks." Dean said, picking up the bag and starting forward.

He was stopped by a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder.

"You just got through telling me you were lost and attacked. Strange things have been happening around here lately. People go missing then get found…" he shook his head. "You just come with me now; I'm not going to let you go missing too. You can't help your brother unless you're in good shape, and it looks like you need some medical attention and rest. I promise to get a search party up first thing in the morning, okay?"

Dean looked into the older man's eyes and realized he meant what he said. He was about to shrug off the man's hand but sighed instead. He had no idea where Sam was-the missing hikers hadn't been at the excavation site and he had no clues to help him. He had thought burning the bear cub bones would do something, but it hadn't. Maybe if he burned the bones at the museum-then he remembered the diary. He had to get to his car.

"Okay." he said, and after seeing that the fire was going out by itself, all the lighter fluid used up, allowed himself to be led back towards the park entrance.

He had no intention of waiting until morning, but he could do with some coffee and aspirin. That was all the 'medical attention' he figured he needed until he found Sam. He had some reading to do, then maybe a little breaking and entering. Dean cast one last look at the empty clearing, swearing to himself that he was going to find his brother and that Sam was going to be fine.

To be continued, and I promise Sam will be in the next chapter. Thought he would be in this one, but muses are fickle and I ran with what they gave me :)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This is neither here nor there, but I was watching an old episode of "Mythbusters" on TV (it's a show about debunking urban myths-can be quite funny at times) and the guys rescued a broken-down '66 Chevy Impala and made it rocket-powered, so that it raced across the desert at over 300 miles per hour. If I owned the show and its characters, I'd probably let Dean play with a souped-up version of his car, but alas I don't.

A/N 2: Thanks again for the reviews, Ghostwriter, Beautiful Ally, Kaewi, and kokomocalifornia, and thanks everyone for reading this far (gives everybody reading this cyber chocolate chip cookies). Italics mean dream sequence, but you've all probably figured that out already :)

_She ran through the forest desperately, heedless of brambles and branches grabbing for her. They had been too long. The day had started out nicely, but as it so often did in late fall it had turned and was now pouring. The cold rain seemed to have no designs of stopping and her children were nowhere in sight. The three had started off exploring early, knowing that soon they would be heading back into a city. There was no reason to stay in the country anymore. Not since..._

_She resolutely stopped that train of thought. She and her children would have a good life in the city; she just had to hear back from her cousin. The packing and chores had taken her longer than she thought it would, and when she started dinner it was already darkening outside. Her babies knew to be back at the cabin by dark, there were still so many dangers out here. But dinner was ready and her children were not back. She put the food aside and went out to look, at first methodically and then more urgently. It was full night now, and there was no sign of them. They didn't have the proper clothing for this weather. She stopped and screamed until she was hoarse, calling their names. There was no answer. She searched for two days, surviving on what little fruit was left to pick and drinking from a stream when she got dizzy. _

_The rain had persisted, off and on, and she was chilled by the cold wind but too anxious about her children to care. Her concern gave her strength, strength that deserted her when she found them. She sank down, broken hearted, next to Lizzy's tiny body. Her children were cold and covered in some kind of substance. They had taken refuge by a large tree, and looked as though they had just gone to sleep, a sleep she knew from which they would never wake. Her keening wail silenced the normal forest sounds, and she shook in grief. She stroked their hair, smearing the substance even more. After a time she drew back. _

_They had loved it out here, not at first but the woods had grown on her children. She would let them stay out here, where they could forever play in the forest. She numbly went back to the cabin, grabbing the implement she needed. Then she buried them. Her daughter's diary fell unnoticed into the hole with the bodies, a short distance from them. She lovingly packed the dirt above them, and then stood in thought. Returning to the cabin, she took a look around. It was empty, feeling as though it had been deserted. Nodding to herself, she began to pour the oil over everything. She would join her family, and they would all be together and happy again. She lit the fire, and then held her child's stuffed toy to her chest as the cabin burned around her. She would be with them soon._

Sam gasped, suddenly awake. That dream had been so vivid-he looked around, disoriented. Then he stilled, memory returning. The bear had grabbed him, where was he? He slowly struggled to a more upright sitting position, realizing he'd been leaning against a cold dirt wall. He blinked; trying to see in the dim light.

"Dean?" he whispered, not knowing if the bear had taken his brother as well.

Only silence answered his call. He slowly stretched forward, feeling the soreness in his shoulder. His head hurt as well, but he ignored it as he felt about his current surroundings, hoping for a clue to where he was. His fingers brushed over something cold and hard and small, and when his vision finally adjusted to the faint light he could make out the shape of a coin. He found several more, along with empty wrappers strewn on the dirt floor.

'The missing hikers' he thought. 'They must have been kept here-wherever here is'. He could finally see that the cave, he didn't know what else it could be, was empty. The dim light was coming from above him, at a sloping angle. Sam decided it was time to leave, and began to crawl slowly upwards. The opening was narrow, just enough for a large animal to pass through.

Sam emerged into the starlit night and took deep breaths of the fresh air. He could hear the sound of running water in the distance, and the normal forest sounds. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he saw trees and some rotted logs nearby. He had no idea where the park entrance was, or the clearing with the hole. He had however found where the hikers had been kept, he thought, although they were not there now. Then he realized that in the morning it would be the seventh day-maybe the bear had taken them back. If so, he'd better leave while he could and his memory was intact.

He picked a direction away from the stream-there wasn't one near the clearing or the park entrance that he could remember, and started walking. He winced as his ankle throbbed, but ignored it. He couldn't ignore the angry bellow that he next heard, that raised the hairs on his skin. Looking around quickly, he ducked down a barely-used path away from the noise, that he was certain came from the bear. He was proven right as he heard the bear's growling following him, and sneaking a look back saw it charging. Suddenly filled with adrenaline, Sam ran down the path, searching desperately for a weapon or an escape route. A sturdy tree with low hanging branches filled his vision and he bolted for it, knowing he hadn't climbed a tree in years but figuring that it was like riding a bicycle. He jumped upwards, reaching for a branch and then tumbled down with a cry as a massive paw swiped his back.

Ominous-looking jaws snapped down inches from his face and Sam rolled, kicking out at the bear. He felt his feet connect and shoved hard, trying to get a moment free to climb. The bear backed off and he stumbled to his feet, only to fall again when the animal smacked the side of his head. Claws began tearing at his clothing, and Sam held absolutely still, something he'd read about bear attacks saying that one way to survive was to play dead. After a few moments, seemingly satisfied that its prey wasn't going to try and escape, the bear grunted and stopped pawing him. He lay still and waited to see if the bear would move off. The animalhuffed and Sam could hear it begin to lumber away. He waited a few minutes and then slowly got to his feet, groaning in pain. Now his head really hurt, and he wished he had some more painkillers with him. He was also surprised that he was getting away this easily, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

This time he picked a direction opposite to the way the bear had gone and slowly began to make his way down the path. He froze as the temperature around him suddenly dropped, and a moaning wind blew from out of nowhere. This was the point at which Dean would break out the salt-filled shotgun, and Sam wished his brother was with him. The cold seemed to surround him, and he shivered as he was certain a spirit was nearby.

'Forget it' he thought and ran. He had nothing to fight with, and didn't feel like being possessed or losing his memory. He only made it a short way before he heard pounding movement behind him. Not bothering with trying to climb this time, Sam darted off the path and into the trees, hoping the bear would be too big to follow him. He had no such luck. He crashed out of the trees and into another clearing and fell as the bear struck him from behind. He yelled as he felt teeth sink into his already injured shoulder and desperately rolled, trying to push the animal away. The moaning wind surrounded him and then cold blew past him into the bear. It released its hold on him, jaws dripping. Sam panted, his vision wavering, and thought for a moment he saw a woman's grief stricken face superimposed over that of the bear's. Then a big paw reached out and slammed his head hard into the ground, and he welcomed the blackness, his last conscious thought the hope that his brother would find him in less than a week.

That's it for now, will hopefully get a better chapter up soon. Have a good day :)


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I still don't own them, but man that gun case of John Winchester's was wickedly cool. (No spoilers, just admiring hardware.)

A/N 2: Um, well I guess poor Sam's been languishing in the bear's care for more than the seven days; good thing time is relative in fanfic :) Thanks again to Beautiful Ally, Kaewi, Nate and Jake, Ghostwriter, pmsdevil01, pizzapixie, Maygin and rozzy07 for your reviews and to everyone else who is reading :)

Dean had trekked back to the welcome center to the park after the older man and used the restroom to clean up. No wonder the official had been worried-he was pale and had streaks of blood adorning his head. Feeling slightly more human he got some coffee from the machine in the lobby-it was atrocious but it was caffeine. There was also a machine dispensing packets of necessary little items-he got several packs of pain killers and some candy bars for fuel. Popping two aspirins out from a packet he swallowed them down with the coffee and got another cup to go, adding as much sugar as the machine allowed. The park official was on the phone in a side office, turned away from him, and feeling only a twinge of conscience he exited as quietly as he could and made his way to the Impala. Sliding into the driver's seat he started his car and drove as sedately as he could manage onto the main road. He knew the man had meant well, but all the official searching in the previous weeks had turned up zilch as far as the missing hikers went-they were only found when whatever had taken them had decided to let them go.

Once safely away from the park he sped up, driving towards the museum. When he reached it he pulled into a spot under one of the bright street lights and reached across the seat to pick up the diary. He carefully flipped the pages until he got near the end, figuring if anything important happened it would be there. He read that the husband had gone to get supplies and had been in a fatal accident. Elizabeth and her mother and brothers had gone into the city for the burial and then returned to the cabin. Her mother was going to start packing up and they might go to live with relatives in the city.

"The ghost is the husband? Nah, doesn't fit." Dean muttered to himself. He swallowed some coffee and turned more pages, stopping at the next to last page with writing on it. He flipped past the entry, but the other pages were blank, and went back to the one that had caught his attention.

_November 8_

_It was nice out so Josh and Petey and I decided to go for a walk while we still could. Mama was packing and said we are to go to live with her cousin soon. She has been so sad and I don't think she wants to live here anymore. I will miss it, and the fun times we had. But I guess it's not fun for her here without Papa._

_We walked further than we had ever gone before and I know we are lost but Josh said he could find the way back. I am not so sure but I am so very tired and maybe the morrow will be nicer. The sky was so bright earlier but it turned dark with rain and has been raining ever since. We walked for hours and hours and I pleaded with my brother for rest. He finally relented and we have taken shelter by a strange-looking tree. Still, the rain is not so heavy underneath it although I am so cold. Petey said he would try to make a fire for warmth but he has not succeeded. I fear it will be a long cold night, but my habit of writing my thoughts before bed gives me a sense of home, though I can barely see what I write and I have to cover the pages with my body so they do not get wet. I will turn in now, but the ground is strangely sticky. I hope I will be able to wash my clothes of it. I am glad I have the bag Mama made for me for my diary as even under the strange tree it still rains upon us. Josh says it is time to sleep, so I will write again on the morrow. Good night, diary. _

Dean blinked and sighed. He knew that the children had never woken up, that they had died in their sleep. He began to think out loud.

"Okay, so you and your brothers are in the museum, and you want to get home. I either torch you and set your spirits free, or take your bodies back to where you died and were buried. But why would you be kidnapping hikers if you're not even at the park? And where is Sam? And why is the bear attacking? And who was that spirit that went into the bear and what's its relation to you?"

As soon as the words left his mouth it hit him. _The mother. _It had to be. The father was buried in the city, the children had been moved from their resting place and then the disappearances had started. The mother must miss the children and was kidnapping hikers as substitutes. It made sense. He thought back to Sam's dream and then reached into the back seat for the journal. It might not be in there, but looking through it always jogged his memory-yes. Ghosts could sometimes possess the living that had gone through a similar trauma. The ghost had lost her children, and the bear had lost its cubs. Three dead kids, three dead cubs.

Dean scratched his head. He didn't think he'd ever heard of a ghost possessing an animal before, but there was a first time for everything. 'Okay' he thought. 'Now we're getting somewhere. I can't torch the kids, because the mother has Sam and the other two hikers and I don't know what will happen with them if I do. So I have to bring them back. Okay, let's hope the security sucks.'

* * *

Searing pain woke Sam and he blinked, taking in the dimness around him. The floor was hard and cold and he was leaning against a solid earthen wall. 'I must be back in the cave.' he thought. Then he recoiled as a large paw reached for him, patting something onto his hurt shoulder.

'Huh?' he thought, but the pain seemed to ease a little. Wondering, Sam looked up at the bear, and wise sad eyes looked back at him in the faint light. 'It's the ghost,' he realized.

He swallowed, feeling the dryness in his throat. His head was throbbing but at least the bleeding in his shoulder had stopped. Whatever herbs the possessed bear had put on him seemed to be helping, and Sam was reminded that in the times the ghost had lived in home remedies had been the first attempt at cures as a doctor might not be available.

He decided to see if it could understand him. "Hey," he croaked.

Clearing his throat with difficulty he tried again. "Uh, thanks for trying to help. Do you have any water?"

The bear cocked its head at him, its eyes studying him intently.

"Water." Sam repeated, curving his hand around an imaginary cup and lifting it to his mouth, pretending to drink.

The bear continued to look at him, then suddenly turned and lumbered away. Sam sighed. At least he'd tried. He didn't think he'd be able to get away again, and wondered where Dean was. Then the animal was back and Sam's eyes widened. It had understood! Clutched gently in the bear's jaws was a bottle of spring water that must have been left over from when it had taken the hikers.It came forward and dropped it beside him.

"Thank you." Sam whispered, and tried to make his movements slow and not threatening as he picked up the bottle and opened it, his thirst finally quenched as he drank half of it. He wondered if he should offer some to his captor and held out the bottle, but the bear merely observed him so he resealed it for later.

Sam tried to make himself a little more comfortable and winced as his skull protested movement. Deciding to ignore the pain, he started talking to the ghost, trying to distract himself.

"So you must be the woman I saw in my dream. Elizabeth's mother." he said, and was surprised when the bear growled at him.

Putting up his hands in an appeasing gesture he apologized.

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone important to you." His eyes took on a faraway look, and then his attention snapped back when the bear nuzzled his hand with its snout. He smiled.

"Sometime I get visions, and can see things that happen elsewhere. I saw what happened to you, and what happened to the bear's cubs. That's why you haven't made me lose my memory, isn't it? Because I can understand you."

The bear snuffled, and Sam risked gently patting it.

'Okay,' he thought. 'All I have to do is keep it distracted until Dean gets here. I hope he gets here soon. I hope he's okay. I wonder if I can set off a signal fire or something.' At the last thought Sam remembered the grieving mother setting herself ablaze. 'Scratch that. Have to find something else, or persuade her to let me leave.'

As he looked into the intelligent eyes he thought maybe he could reach her. After all, she hadn't harmed the hikers. If he didn't try to get away again maybe he wouldn't get killed either.

That's it for now, hope I haven't gone too far beyond the bounds of credibility. But possessed bear? Think I was already way past wacky :) Ah well, maybe this chapter at least advanced the plot a bit. I started this story with a nice opening but no idea where I was going-think I'll fix that in my next fic. Thanks for reading this far, and have a good day.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: (Singing) I don't own them, I don't own them, the car can be fixed, I still don't own them. All I'll say about the season ender is that it was awesome (think I echoed someone there).

A/N 2: Thanks for the reviews, even through the site problems (I was going nuts not being able to log in), Ghostwriter, Beautiful Ally, and Kaewi. It makes my day :) Hope the first part isn't too confusing, it jumps in timing through the night.

* * *

Dean swore as the body bumped against the ground, then looked around guiltily. All was silent, and the first faint streaks of dawn were making their way across the sky. It had been a long night. He'd picked his way easily into the museum, and thanked whatever stars were smiling on him that the law-abiding town hadn't installed state of the art security. First he'd swept the so-called mummies with the EMF meter, but it only registered a low reading. 'So the kids' ghosts aren't active.' he thought.

He'd managed to carefully bring each small body one at a time to the back of the Impala, which had a sheet (stolen from the last motel) and a few towels (also taken from a motel, but a different one) covering the seats and floor. He carefully wrapped each one in another sheet and placed them gently in the car, covering them with a blanket in case of any passers-by. He debated about leaving a note in the now empty display area, but what could he say? "Sorry for taking the bodies, they're buried back in the field where they belong, don't move them again or more hikers will go missing."?

He figured that the museum officials would probably check the dig site again anyway as a possibility, but hopefully not until after he had Sam back and had dealt with the ghost. He was determined that there would be no more disappearing hikers. Lacking a better plan at the moment, he thought he would rebury the ghost's kids where she had put them and see if she showed up, preferably with her newest victim.

He'd swung by the park on his way to the field, and saw flashing lights. Pulling to the side of the road, still in the cover of darkness, he got out of the car and sneaked closer, seeing an ambulance and police car. The kindly older park official was talking animatedly to the officer, and two paramedics were busy checking out two bedraggled-looking people, a man and a woman. They looked sort of familiar, and suddenly Dean realized that they were the couple from the photo, Josh and Marie. They looked relatively okay for being missing for a week.

He grunted, and backed quietly away, getting back into his car. So the ghost had returned the others, and now only had Sam. If it followed its schedule, he would see Sam again in a week. That was a week too long. And Dean had a sneaking suspicion that somehow his brother might end up being a permanent replacement for the ghost's dead kids. Knowing the Winchester luck at these things, if he didn't do something to get Sam back then he might not see his brother again. That was simply not an option. So he drove to the field, got the bodies out of the car, brought them to the fence, and while holding one of the sheet-wrapped bundles climbed halfway up and then tossed it over. After the third body hit the ground he went back and grabbed his pack and then hoisted himself over the fence.

* * *

Sam groaned and shivered, blinking himself back awake. He'd tried to stay alert talking to the ghost but had become too drowsy. At least his head didn't hurt as much and neither did his shoulder. He looked around but the cave, which he now realized had to be the bear's den, was empty. The bear's massive presence no longer filled the area, and Sam cautiously stretched, unkinking his muscles. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to hear if the bear was nearby, but all was silent. Opening his eyes, he slowly got on his hands and knees and crawled to the entrance, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

The sun was gradually starting to rise and Sam looked around, trying to determine which way to go. The sound of running water drew him, and he walked until he saw the stream. He bent down, cupping his hands and splashing his face. He took a drink, careful not to have too much, and then gasped as the familiarity of the area hit him. He recognized this stream from his nightmare about the bear cubs.

If he remembered right from his quick glance at the map of the park, which seemed so long ago now, the stream should lead him not far from the welcome center. Walking slowly and trying not to make much noise, he started out, and then froze when he heard the bear's grunting.

Keeping in mind what happened the last time he ran, he turned and saw the bear. It was carrying something in its mouth towards the den. It stopped when it viewed him and dropped the object, which from Sam's vantage appeared to be a rectangular filled wrapper. 'Granola bar' he thought. He swallowed, and slowly sat down, knowing he wasn't going to get away.

"Dean, I hope you're okay and you've got a plan. I could use your help here bro." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

Dean had finally managed to bring all the bodies to the dig site and proceeded to place them back in their former resting places. He carefully tamped dirt back around the last little form and wiping off his hands he surveyed his work. The sun was rising in the sky and he hoped that the ghost would be by soon. Maybe it would leave Sam where it had left the hikers when it returned them. 'Not the best plan in the world, but hey, it could work.' He thought.

He waited, and waited some more. The sun rose steadily. It wasn't working.

"Shit. Guess I have to do this again."

He really didn't want to have to torch the kids' bodies, the museum would honor their memories, but stopping the ghost and saving his brother came first. Maybe he could fake the ghost out.

He squirted some lighter fluid near the flags on the dirt wall, having left them in when he reburied the little forms. Flicking on the lighter he'd brought, he moved it closer to the fluid.

"Here ghostie ghostie! I'm about to torch your kids unless you return my brother. How about a trade?" he called aloud.

He waved the lighter in front of the flags.

* * *

That's it for now, hope to have more up soon. How are we ever going to make it through four long months wondering what happens on the show? Thank goodness for fanfiction!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Nope, still don't own the show Supernatural or any of its characters-and for anyone who still doesn't know-the show is renewed for next season on the new network the CW! Woo-hoo! Okay, just needed to get that out of my system :)

A/N 2: Well, I recently watched the year 2000 movie "Grizzly Falls"(for research, yeah) and I feel better now about my bear's strange behavior-the bear in that movie did even more unbelievable things and it didn't even have the excuse of being possessed. It's a cute movie though if you're interested-but no Sam or Dean in it, alas. Thanks again to pizzapixie, Ghostwriter, Nate and Jake, Maygin, carocali, Kaewi, and Beautiful Ally for reviewing :)

* * *

Sam sighed. At least he was warmer out in the sun. The bear had lumbered up to him and then, apparently confused when all he did was sit patiently, had settled down next to him. He'd flinched back when its large muzzle approached his shoulder, but all it did was sniff and then the sad eyes looked at him as it drew back. The ghost was apparently still in charge and wanted to check her work.

"I won't run." he told her. "You would catch me anyway. But I need food and water to survive, and I can't replace your children. You should let the bear go and live its life, it was never meant to do things like kidnap people."

He had a sudden thought. "You can understand me, right?"

The intelligent look encouraged him to continue. "I can lead you to your children. I know where their bodies went. Your spirit can join them. Let me help."

He flashed his most earnest, trustworthy gaze at the possessed bear. It cocked its head, studying him intently. Then it grunted and backed away. Feeling a flash of success, Sam rose and tentatively took a step towards the stream. The bear merely observed him and he sighed in relief. With renewed hope, he started out following the stream slowly, heading towards the welcome center. The bear padded beside him, and then suddenly ran into the stream. It splashed for a minute then emerged carrying something in its jaws. It lifted its muzzle, clearly offering its catch to Sam.

He smiled genuinely, but shook his head. "That's okay; the bear needs its strength. You eat it."

Apparently accepting his refusal, the animal started eating the fish as Sam continued alongside the stream. 'With luck, I can be back at the welcome center soon and use their phone to call Dean.' He had lost his when the bear had first grabbed him, figuring it had fallen out somewhere. The sun began to rise steadily in the sky.

-------------------------

Dean sighed. Putting the bodies back where they belonged hadn't worked, and neither had pretending to burn the bones. This called for something more drastic. He picked one of the resting places at random, and brushed the dirt away from the little form. Squeezing the lighter fluid onto it, he grimaced in sympathy, knowing Sam wouldn't have wanted him to destroy a museum exhibit.

'Sorry bro, but it's saving the body or it's saving you, and that isn't really a contest.' he thought.

He lit the lighter and held it close to the unfortunate child's remains.

"Hey mama ghost! I mean it this time; this kid is going on without you unless you bring my brother back right now!"

He had a fleeting thought that maybe this wasn't the best idea in the world, and wondered what would happen to the bear if the ghost left it abruptly to come to him, but then dismissed it. Short of searching the entire park, he didn't know how else he was going to find Sam. Not giving himself time for second-guessing, he touched the lighter to the fluid-covered body.

-------------------------

Sam didn't know what hit him. Correction, he knew what, but not why. One minute he was walking along the stream, the bear ambling contentedly along behind him; the next it was roaring as though in anguish and charging him. Eyes widening, he threw himself to the side but wasn't quick enough. A massive paw slammed into his hurt shoulder and he cried out in pain as he fell.

He rolled desperately, wondering what had set the animal off. The bear was enraged, growling and grunting. It reared up on its hind legs, and then would have dropped down onto Sam if he hadn't scrambled out of the way. It was trying to bite him, its eyes pure white, and Sam knew that something had pissed off the ghost. _Dean! It had to be something his brother was doing, he just knew it. _He didn't have time to ponder it however as the large possessed animal continued to attack him.

-------------------------

Dean watched the little body burn and waited. Finally the flames started to die down. Nothing else had happened, no ghost had appeared. He sighed. He was flat out of options and had no idea what to try next. He supposed that maybe the park official had had the right idea and maybe searching the park was the way to go. The bear and Sam had to be somewhere. He looked at the two flags where the other dead kids rested. He could burn them too, but there didn't seem to be a point.

He looked up into bright daylight. Whatever he did, those museum people would be missing their display soon. If he wanted to use the bodies to draw out the ghost he'd have to finish it quickly. This might be one of their first stops. Then he realized that maybe being impatient was his problem. It might take the ghost time to get there, especially if it was still in the bear's body. Curious, he climbed back up the ladder and emerged from the dig area, really taking a look around.

The field was bordered by road on three sides, but one side connected to the woods. Dean shaded his eyes with his hand and saw the fence bordering the field, and then forest. He followed the line of forest as it went off into the distance, and then decided to consult the map. He descended back into the pit and opened the pack. Looking at the map he grunted and shook his head. Of course. The forest connected to the protected woods of the park. The ghost probably felt more comfortable in the woods, and traveled back and forth to her children's resting place without the need for crossing the road or going into developed areas. It would be easier for the bear to come that way as well.

"Okay, so I guess I wait." He said aloud. "But maybe you can use just a little more incentive."

Flicking open the lighter, he threatened a second body.

-------------------------

Sam gasped in pain and kept rolling, trying to heave his body away from the maddened animal. It continued to try and bite him, and he realized he would have to try and fight back. Bringing his legs up he kicked out hard, catching the bear on the jaw. Shaking its head it backed away and he scrambled to stand, turning to run. Several hundred pounds smashed into him and he went down again. At the last moment he saw the large rock on the ground rushing up to meet his head and he had time for one brief thought, 'Oh crap'. Then darkness descended.

The bear growled, rising to her full height on her back legs. The ghostly eyes looked down at her prey's inert form and then off into the distance. Dropping back to all fours, the bear's teeth grabbed Sam by the back of his jacket near his neck and effortlessly lifted, and began to drag the unconscious body across the ground, following a familiar path.

-------------------------

Dean sighed again, staring at the second burning body. This waiting was getting on his nerves. He decided to keep busy, and dug the last child back out of its resting place. This way he would have options, he thought. The last of the flames finally went out, and once the sound of the crackling faded to silence he could hear the EMF meter in the pack begin to shrill.

'Finally!' he thought. Grabbing the salt-filled shotgun in one hand and the little body under his other arm he carefully climbed the ladder, blinking in the sunlight. He stepped onto the field surrounding the pit and looked around, hearing the grunting first, coming from the direction of the forest. Turning that way he froze at the sight that met his eyes, and then his grip on the body tightened. 'Sam!' he thought but couldn't utter aloud.

Grieving ghost-possessed bear and anxious brother eyed one another for a timeless moment.

Slowly and carefully Dean placed the ghost's last dead child on the ground at his feet, watching as the bear mimicked his actions, lowering his brothers limp body and finally releasing him from its jaws. Dean quietly raised the shotgun and the bear placed a massive paw on Sam's back, the threat clear. Swallowing, the older brother held out his empty hand and then gently dropped the shotgun, backing away from it and the little body. The bear lifted its paw and grunted, and then more quickly than Dean could process it shot forward, gently grabbed the little dirt covered form of the child, and lumbered off, making little sounds he couldn't interpret as it went.

Dean shook off his momentary shock. "Sam!" he shouted as he raced to his brother's side.

-------------------------

Will be continued hopefully very soon. I know the story is getting a bit weak, plot-wise anyway, and I apologize. That's what I get for starting something I had no idea how to end. I literally wrote myself into a hole and had to grab at straws. Anyone else have that kind of a Rumpelstiltskin moment? So gold this story will not be, but hopefully at least entertaining :) Thanks for reading, and have a great day.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Well, I still don't own the show Supernatural or any of its characters-but it has made me listen to hours of Metallica and AC/DC and other classic rock. I now have two classic rock stations preset on my car's radio, and listen to them as I drive to work. And yes, sometimes I can envision the Impala as I drive-I know, I'm pathetic :)

A/N 2: Thank you so much for your wonderful responses: Ghostwriter, pandora jazz, carocali, pizzapixie, Kaewi, kokomocalifornia, talon81, cutie-pie-rockchic, Michelle P., Beautiful Ally-I tried, but I'm not real good at the fluff, hope this is okay-and pmsdevil01. You all really make my day :) Slow chapter this time, but I figured they needed a break. Oh, and I know Sam gets off very lightly from his bear attack-but the bear isn't really the villain in the story and I couldn't bear (lol) for it to have done too much damage.

--------------------

"Sam!" Dean cried as he reached the unconscious form of his brother.

"Oh, Sammy." he said as he saw the bloody gash on the side of his brother's head, along with the blood on his shoulder and the many cuts from being dragged over the ground.

Carefully he turned Sam over onto his back to check for other injuries. Other than now ripped and slightly bloody clothing Dean didn't find anything vitally wrong. He was certain that Sam would have bruises, and there were definite scratch marks from sharp claws, but it was nothing worse than many of the times he'd had to patch his brother up after a hunt.

"Hey Sam, c'mon, wake up buddy." Dean said, looking down worriedly.

He gently fingered the head wound, thinking with relief it didn't look deep enough for stitches. He was cautiously probing his brother's shoulder when Sam moaned and his eyelids fluttered.

"Hey sleeping beauty, time to wake up." Dean coaxed.

Sam's eyes opened and he blinked, trying to determine where he was.

"Dean?" he croaked, and then noticed his big brother staring at him anxiously.

"Dean! You're here. What happened? Where are we? Are you okay?" Sam attempted to get up, and groaned in pain.

"Whoa, take it easy." Dean said, slowly pulling Sam into a sitting position.

He sighed with relief that his brother was awake, and almost hugged him. He didn't want to exacerbate any injuries however, so he settled for patting Sam's good shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he finally answered. "You're the one that was a bear's playmate. We're by the dig site where they found the kids' bodies. The ghost-possessed-bear brought you here. How're you feeling?" Dean asked gruffly, looking at his brother critically. He was relieved that Sam seemed fine, but wondered if the first aid kit would be enough, or if his brother rated a trip to the emergency room.

"I'm okay. I don't think the bear meant to hurt me; it just got pissed off all of a sudden. Did you do anything?" Sam asked, looking quizzically at his brother. He was glad Dean had found him, and performed his own scan of his brother, finally satisfied that Dean was all right.

"Oh. Um, well, you see, why don't I go get that first aid pack, no offense, but you look like you could use it." Dean said quickly, and making sure Sam could sit unassisted he nearly dived back down into the pit to grab his pack.

"Hey!" Sam called after him.

Sam blinked, now knowing that something was up. He carefully raised a hand to his head, feeling the ache there. His shoulder wasn't much better off. 'At least my ankle doesn't hurt anymore.' He thought wryly. Or maybe it did, his whole body felt like it had gone through a meat grinder-or dragged cross country. He guessed the latter had actually happened.

Dean soon reappeared, carrying his pack. He kneeled by Sam's side, first offering his brother a packet of painkillers and a bottle of water. Sam took both gratefully, and downed the pills with half the bottle. Dean then used the other half of the bottle of water to gently clean the blood off his head so he could get a better look at the wound.

"Well, you'll live." Dean finally pronounced, deciding to apply antiseptic and a bandage. Then he turned his attention to Sam's shoulder.

"What the heck is this?" he asked, fingering the damp bloody herbs.

"Oh, the bear-I mean the ghost-tried to help me. I think she was lonely, and wanted me to live and give her company." Sam said, wincing. "She must have known some folk medicine back then. It actually helped for awhile. Before the bear went crazy again, I mean."

He looked at his brother, who was proceeding to clean and bandage his shoulder. "Hmm." Was all Dean said.

Sam sighed. "So what happened?" he asked.

"Hold still." His brother replied, carefully cleansing the gash on his head with an antiseptic wipe.

Dean then bandaged the wound with gentle hands and sat back, eyeing the other cuts and bruises littering his brother's body. Deciding that they could wait until they reached the motel room, he put away his supplies and pulled out a couple of candy bars and another bottle of water, handing them over to Sam. Sam was beginning to have that look in his eyes, the look that said, 'I know you're holding something back and I'm going to find out what it is'.

--------------------

Sam yawned, and then blinked back the tiredness. He'd let Dean avoid answering his question when his brother said it might be a good idea to get out of the open in case the bear came back. Dean swept the area clean of any traces that they had been there and then shepherded Sam to the car.

"I can walk by myself, you know." Sam had protested his brother's helping hand.

"Yeah, and you can get grabbed by a bear yourself too." Dean shot back, refusing to let go.

Sam rolled his eyes, but secretly appreciated the support. He settled back in the passenger seat of the Impala, and debated about closing his eyes and taking a nap. The next thing he knew, there was a gentle touch on his uninjured shoulder and he startled awake, to see his brother's worried eyes looking at him.

"Hey," Dean said.

"Hey," Sam replied, looking out the window. They were already at the motel.

He managed to exit the car and make it into the room on his own, Dean following with their packs. The motel bed was the most beautiful sight to his weary body and he sank onto it gratefully.

"Don't fall asleep yet, you need to shower and clean off that dirt and then maybe soak in a bath to loosen your muscles so they don't lock up in the morning." Dean said, dropping their packs and closing the door.

Sam groaned. "I don't want to move."

"C'mon, I'll even let you have first go at the hot water." His brother persisted.

Sam sighed, and then heaved himself to his feet. He knew Dean was in full-out big brother mode and wouldn't stop hovering unless Sam took his advice. The proof came when his brother handed him clean sweats and underwear as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Thanks," he mumbled and could feel Dean's concerned gaze as entered the little room.

"Leave the door open a crack." He heard his brother say and rolled his eyes but complied.

Half an hour later he had to admit he felt better. Whether it was the warm water and soaking in the tub or the painkillers kicking in or the calories from the candy bars he'd scarfed down he couldn't say, but Sam's head was definitely clearer and his body ached less. All he needed now was sleep.

"About time you got out of there, figured I was going to have a prune for a brother." Dean joked.

Inwardly he was sighing with relief. Sam looked much better than he had at the park, and while Dean winced at seeing the cuts and bruises at least none looked infected. He had one more brotherly job to do before he felt he could rest for the night, even though it was early in the afternoon.

"Let me put some stuff on that shoulder and bandage your head, and then you can sleep all you want. "

"Fine," Sam grumbled good-naturedly, "but then it's your turn to shower and rest." He'd noticed how tired his brother looked, and realized Dean probably had kept going until he'd found Sam.

"Yeah, yeah." Dean said and then put the clean bandages on his brother.

"What about you? Did you get injured?" Sam suddenly asked.

"I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me." Dean noticed his brother examining him closely, and sighed.

"Yeah, my head was bleeding for a while but it stopped. Surface wound. See?" After cleaning up in the welcome center's restroom, there hadn't been any more bleeding. Dean was a pretty good judge of knowing how badly he'd been hurt during a hunt and this time his brother had the worst of it. A nice long hot shower and a good night's sleep and he'd be good as new.

Sam grunted when he saw his brother was really okay and finally threw back the covers and fell into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Dean eyed him a moment and then carefully pulled the covers back over him. They hadn't even discussed what had happened, or what they were going to do, but at the moment he didn't care. Sam was safe.

Grinning, he whistled under his breath as he shed his clothes and dived into the bathroom. His brother had even left him some hot water, and several minutes later he emerged, gently toweling his wet hair. Grabbing some clean clothes, he put them on, and settled in his bed, sliding his knife under his pillow. He didn't bother setting the alarm, figuring they deserved to get as much rest as possible. Sam's light snoring was music to his ears and he drifted off to sleep, as the afternoon light began to fade into night.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: If I owned them I'd make sure the car is fixable and returns for another season. I know from Wikipedia that the show has five Chevy Impalas that they use. That leaves four for a comeback, if they actually wrecked one.

A/N 2: Thanks to carocali, pmsdevil01, pandora jazz, Beautiful Ally, cutie-pie-rockchic, Kaewi, and Barbara for your reviews. Sorry this took awhile, but on the bright side there's no cliffhanger this time either :)

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Birds singing their hearts out were the first things Sam heard as he slowly woke up. Blinking sleepily, he looked around; noticing the numbers on the clock by his bed shone a steady 7:28. From the avian racket and the sunlight peeking through the blinds he deduced it was morning. He stretched and yawned, suddenly glad Dean had made him take a bath. His muscles were stiff, but not as bad as they could have been. Thinking of his brother, Sam's eyes strayed to the other bed in the room and he smiled as he saw Dean's sleeping form. Trying not to wake him, Sam slowly got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He showered and shaved, feeling enormously better, and then managed to dress his wounds himself. Exiting the bathroom, he saw Dean was awake, sitting on the side of the bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning," Sam said.

A grunt was Dean's reply. Then, "'Morning Sam. Did you sleep okay?"

Sam nodded. "I can't believe it. I didn't even dream. I think we slept for twelve hours, if you crashed after I did."

"Yeah, but we needed it. Give me ten and we'll go get breakfast." Dean replied.

"You're on. I'm starving."

Dean flashed him a grin as he went past, giving Sam a quick once-over. Apparently satisfied that his brother was doing better he disappeared into the little room, skipping the shower as he'd had one the night before and brushing his teeth instead.

Just before they left Sam grabbed the red backpack. The hikers were no longer with the bear so hopefully they would be home. He wondered what Dean hadn't told him and resolved to find out at breakfast.

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Dean's gaze sought out the waitress, relieved to see her holding a pot of coffee. He flashed his smile as she refilled his cup and then Sam's.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked.

"Nope, that'll be it for today." he answered.

"Here you go, then. Come back soon." She said with a smile as she placed the check on the end of the table.

His gaze lingered on her form as she proceeded to the next table. He could feel Sam looking at him with that intense stare that said his time for avoiding serious conversation was over. He sighed and sipped some coffee, trying to put off the inevitable. Sam cleared his throat and Dean rolled his eyes, finally facing his brother.

"So?" Sam asked.

"So, what?" Dean replied, concentrating on his caffeine intake.

Sam sighed. "So what did you do? I told you what happened with the bear and the ghost over breakfast, but you didn't tell me anything. What did you do during that time?"

Dean swallowed the last of his coffee and started to talk. At least they were in a public place; Sam wouldn't yell too loudly here he hoped.

"Well after I woke up and saw you weren't around I tried to lure the ghost back by burning the bear cub bones, but it didn't work. There was this park guy that saw the smoke and made me leave-"

"Did he see our stuff?" Sam interrupted, alarmed.

"Nope, I put it away before he did. He wanted to have a search party go after you in the morning, but that didn't work too well with the hikers and I thought I'd follow up with the diary. I know how the kids died, but it wasn't their ghosts taking the hikers, I figured out, like you did, that it was the mother. I had a plan, sure it might not have been the best plan in the world, but I thought if I returned the kids' bones to where they'd been buried to begin with the ghost would come to them and release you so I brokeintothemuseumandstolethebodies." Dean finished in a rush.

"You what? You stole the museum's display?" Sam asked, not having missed what his brother said.

"Well, what would you have done?" Dean shot back, and was surprised when Sam broke into a grin and sat back.

"I'd probably have done the same thing," Sam admitted. "I knew you had done something, but that's not too bad. All we have to do is tell the museum people the bones are back where they were before and…"

He stopped at the guilty look on Dean's face. "What else did you do?" he asked, feeling trepidation.

"Uh, well the bodies were back and nothing was happening and I thought you might be running out of time so-…." Dean mumbled something under his breath.

"What? What did you just say?" Sam demanded, not having heard the last part.

Looking steadily into the empty coffee cup as though it held the secrets of the universe Dean shrugged, swallowed, and said, "I torched them."

Sam blinked. "You torched…" he repeated and then his eyes opened wide. "You burned them!" his voice rose.

Dean glanced around at the nearby tables and hissed at his brother. "Keep it down, will you? You're here, you're fine, and did I mention that the latest hikers are okay too?"

Sam shook his head, taken off track by the change of subject. "What?" he asked.

"I saw them when I was on the way to the field. Josh and Marie, remember? The bear must have brought them to where the park guy could find them. They looked fine, well, okay anyway."

"That's good," Sam said, genuinely glad the other hikers were all right. He'd figured they might be, but that didn't excuse Dean burning the museum exhibit.

"You know, I had a plan too. I was doing fine and would have made it to the welcome center anyway when the ghost just went nuts. Now I know why," he said, staring at his brother. "So now all the bodies are burned? The kids and the bear cubs?"

"Well," Dean shrugged, "all but one. I sorta traded the last kid for you. The ghost possessed bear went off with it. Maybe it won't bother any hikers anymore."

Sam shook his head again and sighed. When he took a minute to think about it, he realized Dean had done what he'd felt he had to, and Sam realized if it came down to saving his brother or saving a museum exhibit there wasn't really a choice.

"Okay," he said simply.

Dean's brows rose. "Okay?" he asked, tentatively.

"Yes. But no more destruction of public property unless it's unavoidable. And I think I know where the bear went, but the body of the kid won't be enough. The spirit is lonely and wants company. She isn't going to stop taking live people-we have to finish this." Sam said.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but the only way to do that is to burn the mother's bones and put her to rest, but we don't exactly know where they are."

"Actually, I think I may have an idea about that," Sam said, rising.

They paid for the check and left, about to get into the Impala when Dean noticed two familiar looking people getting out of a tan SUV, talking to each other and holding hands as they headed into the diner.

"Hmm, guess this place has a good rep. Guess who else is here for breakfast?" he asked Sam, nodding towards Josh and Marie.

Sam looked, and the couple did seem none the worse for wear. He would have liked to have talked with them, but didn't feel like posing like anyone at the moment. He was startled when Dean opened the door, grabbed the red backpack, and went past him, pausing to watch as the previously missing hikers went safely inside, then plopping it onto SUV's hood by the windshield.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Hey, it'll just be one more mystery for them to think about." Dean grinned, and slid into the driver's seat of his car. "Get in," he said to his brother, who was looking at him like he was crazy. Dean rolled his eyes. "C'mon Sam, daylight's burning."

Sam shook his head, and then got into the passenger side, explaining his dream about the mother burning her cabin down around her.

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I know this was a little short, but I'm working on more, and promise it won't take so long. Have a great day!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I don't own the characters or the show Supernatural, and I'm using great self control not to read the spoilers for next season. Don't know how long I can hold on, though :)

A/N 2: Um, sorry about the wait, I went away for awhile and didn't get a chance to write, and then got busy catching up :) Thanks again to Beautiful Ally, rozzy07, pmsdevil01, talon81, pandora jazz, Raven524, Ghostwriter, and carocali for your reviews!

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The brothers drove back to the park, where things were once again serene. After filling their own packs with supplies from the trunk, they were walking past the welcome center when the kindly park official came bustling out, holding up a hand to get them to stop. Exchanging looks, they waited as he came up to them.

"Hello, you're looking better," he said to Dean, who nodded and pasted a smile on his face.

"And who's this?" the official asked as he glanced up at Sam.

"This is my brother, I found him, so you can, uh, call off the search." Dean said, looking at the man apologetically.

"Hi, I'm Sam, and thanks for helping my brother," Sam said as he shook hands with the park official.

"Not a problem and I'm glad you're safe. What a coincidence, the other missing hikers were found as well. They turned up out of nowhere, safe and sound, well a little dehydrated but otherwise fine."

"That's interesting, did they remember anything?" Sam asked.

"Why, that is the strangest thing. They remember hiking and falling into a hole and then waking up near the stream a short distance from here. The days they were missing were a complete blank, just like the other hikers' stories have been."

"That is strange," Dean said, and then added, "Well thanks for your help, my brother lost his cell phone and we're just going to go look for it. Bye!"

He started forward, Sam following but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. The park official looked at him worriedly.

"Just be careful, okay? There's been an increase in the poaching problem here, especially of the bear population, although there aren't that many bears in the park anymore and some tourists claim to have been accidentally shot at, though there was no proof so it hasn't reached the papers thank goodness. Say, didn't your brother say you were attacked by a bear?" the official added, addressing Sam.

"Um yeah, but I must have aggravated it somehow, anyway it let me go and I made my way back no problem." Sam said quickly, embellishing the truth. He didn't want the bear to get in trouble for being possessed.

"Well, that's good news at least. Would you boys like me to come with you and look for your phone? It would be no problem and I'd feel better than letting you go out there alone again, we're thinking of closing the park to tourists for awhile to upgrade some safety features. I'd prefer a pristine atmosphere but not if people are going to get hurt." the man said.

"Well, that's a nice offer but we'd hate to put you to any trouble. We'll be in the park and out before you know it, and will check back here on the way to our car, how about that?" Dean hurriedly said, not wanting the kindly older gentleman anywhere near them when they were busy burning bones.

"I suppose that's all right then, but do check back here, okay? I'd hate to call off the search and then put it back on again. The others haven't even arrived yet today to look for you; they had no success yesterday and are getting a late start."

"Sure, no problem," Sam said, glad that there were currently no search parties that he and Dean would have to dodge as they did their work.

"Well then, good luck and I expect to be seeing you soon," the official said, finally walking away and back to the welcome center.

Dean sighed in relief and continued forward, saying "Thought that guy would never leave us alone. Don't think he'd appreciate another bonfire in his park."

"He was just concerned. And what he said bothers me. Dean, those bear cubs were killed by a poacher. What if he's still out here somewhere? I don't want him to hurt the bear." Sam stated.

"From what you told me of your dream that mama bear scared the poacher and made him run away. Those guys are cowards, no way is he back here." Dean said confidently.

"Maybe not, but apparently they're having a real problem. We should be on our guard." Sam replied, looking around alertly.

"No sweat, like I told the guy, we get there, burn the bones, dispel the ghost and maybe find your phone on the way back. In and out."

"I hope you're right," Sam muttered as they walked deeper into the park, heading back towards what Sam hoped was the site of the burned down cabin where the ghost's bones were located.

He and Dean had spent time looking over a map of the area, pinpointing where the museum's display bodies had been found and then following a line back into the park to where Sam roughly thought the ghost might have come from. The bear's den was along that path and Sam figured that must have been how the two grieving mothers had met. He shouldered his pack and trekked on next to his brother, glad that they were both feeling better. He was even able to walk well on his ankle, thanks to the painkillers he'd taken earlier.

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On the phone in his office, the kindly park official didn't notice the old pickup drive into the parking lot, a tall bearded stranger with a hat getting out and lugging a long bag with him as he furtively looked around and then strode quickly into the park.

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Sorry for the shortness, but it's the filler chapter on the way to more action :) I also needed some inspiration so I watched a 2005 movie called "A Bear Named Winnie". It's the true story behind the inspiration for the "Winnie the Pooh" stories by A.A. Milne, and it's a cute movie if you have nothing to do one afternoon. It does have some war scenes, though. Thanks for reading, and have a great day :)


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I don't own Supernatural or its characters, more's the pity. The leads would go around topless if I did. Although I don't think the Impala would be easy to drive with its hood up :)

A/N 2: Thanks to Turner97, carocali, TangledPencils, Raven524, pandora jazz, and Beautiful Ally for your reviews, and everyone else for reading. The story is finally winding down, and thanks for sticking with it this far. Oh, and there might be a little language to warn against in this chapter, but it's in character. No offense meant.

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Sam felt a cold chill and paused, taking a look around. Dean nearly smacked into his back, stopping just in time.

"Hey, give a guy some warning, would you?" the older brother grumbled. Then he caught Sam's expression and was instantly alert. "What is it?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know. I just felt…cold all of a sudden."

Dean immediately brought up the salt-filled shotgun, eyes scanning the trees and area around them.

"Think it's the ghost?" he asked.

"I don't know. But look at that cleared area just ahead. We passed the bear's den already and according to the map I think we're in the right area for that burned down cabin." Sam replied.

They had tread carefully around the den, but the bear hadn't been around. Sam thought it might be foraging for food, free of the ghost's influence for awhile as the ghost mother had her attention on her recovered child.

Dean nodded and took a closer look. There was definitely a clearing ahead of them, and nothing seemed to be growing there. No grass, no bushes, and there were no sounds of insects there either. The area simply seemed devoid of life. Sam took the EMFmeter out and it began to beep immediately, getting shriller as he walked slowly into the clearing. Dean shifted the shotgun and brought out the thermal scanner, which confirmed the temperature drop he felt as he followed his brother.

"Where do you think the bones are?" Dean asked, turning in a semicircle. "Isn't this where the ghost would have brought the kid?"

"Yeah." Sam replied, walking to the middle of the clearing.

The EMF meter nearly went crazy as Sam pointed it towards the ground. He looked back up at his brother as the cold chill returned. Goosebumps raced across his skin and Dean gave a warning "Sam!" as he saw the temperature plunge further with the scanner. They both noticed the newly turned dirt in the center of the area, courtesy of a bear's digging. Sharing a look, they got to work, dropping the packs to the ground and taking out supplies. Dean grabbed a small shovel and began to dig, figuring that the mama ghost would have wanted her child's bones to rest next to hers. Sam placed the camera on the ground in front of him, keeping an eye on the small screen for a ghostly orb while holding the shotgun, covering his brother as he worked. After a few minutes they switched, knowing that fresh hands worked faster and speed was of the essence. They had switched back again when Dean hit something with the shovel.

"Sam, get ready," Dean said as he carefully excavated first a small body and then uncovered older bones, much larger. Obviously this body hadn't been preseved by tree sap as the children were.

The EMF meter shrilled loudly and Sam wordlessly handed Dean the container of salt and then the small bottle of lighter fluid. The mother's bones seemed to glare at them as Dean covered both them and the kid's body with the salt and then squirted the fluid over both. Sam's eyes widened as the orb appeared in the screen and his hands tightened on the shotgun, every sense alert. Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter-he'd put a lighter or a matchbook into every pocket he had while at the car, not wanting to be caught unprepared this time.

"Time for you to rest permanently," Dean said as he flicked the lighter, a flame appearing.

"Dean!" Sam warned as the orb rushed forward. The shotgun boomed in the quiet forest as Sam pulled the trigger.

He looked into the small camera screen, happy to see that the orb had dispersed. Suddenly the wind picked up and put the lighter's flame out.

"Crap," Dean swore and flicked it again, but the sparks refused to catch. Deciding to switch to matches, Dean was reaching for another pocket when a strong gust of wind picked him up and threw him to the edge of the clearing.

'Man, that wind is cold' he thought, and then realized it had to be the ghost.

Sam had come to the same conclusion. "It's the ghost, she must be stronger here at her bones' resting place." he called to his brother. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Dean said, getting up and brushing himself off. "Okay, that's it, no more Mr. Nice Guy. That bitch is going down."

Sam merely nodded and grabbed a matchbook from his own pocket, opening it one-handed as he held onto the shotgun with the other. Realizing he needed a moment free he fired a salt-filled round in front of him, hoping it would keep the ghost at bay long enough to light the match. He settled the gun in the crook of his arm and pulled a match out, but before he could light it another strong gust of cold wind hit him and sent him sprawling to the other side of the clearing, away from Dean. The gun clattered to the ground a few feet away and the match and book went flying.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, running to the center of the clearing and pulling out another lighter.

Then both brothers heard a sound in the distance that they had come to dread-the bear's angry roar.

"Hey Sam, want to have a talk with your friend while I send Mama Ghost to the great beyond?" Dean called to his brother.

This time he cupped his other hand around the lighter as he flicked it on, and the flame caught and held. Sam dove for the shotgun, rolling and scooping it up as the wind once again picked up, ruffling Dean's hair. Dean threw the lighter onto the ready bones, and cursed as the flame went out with another gust of wind before the bones caught on fire.

"Damn, she's a stubborn one," the older brother muttered and then groaned as he was once again picked up and thrown to the edge of the clearing. Blinking as he got to his knees, he said, "This is getting old."

"Dean!" Sam shouted, and swung the shotgun around.

He could hear the bear's roaring getting closer and knew they were running out of time. Sam called out to the air as he hurried towards the bones.

"You have to let us do this! You have to let the bear go and you have to move on. Your other children are waiting for you. Please let us help. Let me help you. If we do this, you can rest. You'll be with your whole family again. I promise there won't be anything left for any museum display. You'll be at peace. Please," Sam implored the ghost, reaching the center of the clearing.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Dean said, as he ran towards his brother.

Sam just shook his head and then deliberately put the shotgun down. Dean's eyes widened and he stared at Sam as if he'd taken leave of his senses. Sam just slowly reached into another pocket and pulled out his last matchbook.

"This is the only way," he said quietly to the air. "Thank you for helping to fix my shoulder, and for not killing any of the hikers. But it's time for you to rest now. It's what your family would want. Please let me do this," he finished.

Dean had reached his side, but Sam held up a hand, signaling his brother to stay where he was. Worried, Dean complied, and watched with concern as Sam struck a match. The flame lit immediately, and there was no wind. Slowly Sam reached forward, and dropped the match onto the bones. He lit another one, and dropped that on the smaller body. The brothers watched as the ghost and her child's bones burned. A last gust of wind, much gentler, ruffled their hair. Sam almost felt it was like a last caress, and then the wind died and there was silence again in the clearing, except for the crackling of the fire. Dean heaved a sigh of relief, and grinned at his brother. Sam smiled back, and then they heard the growling. Their eyes met. The bear had arrived.

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So, it was a long wait, but the end is nigh. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I don't own Supernatural or its characters, boo hoo.

A/N 2: Thanks again for your reviews, Ghostwriter, carocali, Raven524, pandora jazz, prpleflipnhippo, and Beautiful Ally. Sorry, but I just couldn't resist one last cliffhanger before the end. (Ducks from thrown stones.)

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The tall bearded stranger moved quietly through the woods, tracking his prey. He'd heard the bear roar and knew he was on the right track. The den had been empty, to his disappointment. He'd hoped that maybe the female had had more cubs; the three he'd shot awhile ago he'd been unable to claim. Well, he'd simply kill the mother then, an adult's skin and paws were still valuable. Besides, he had a score to settle with her for scaring him away from some easy money.

The poacher was approaching a clearing when he heard a gun blast. He cursed; he didn't want anyone else to have his prize. Slowly he crept to the edge of the cleared area. The smell of smoke was in the air; were they campers? Maybe he should scare them off; he didn't need some pansies turning him in. He'd shot at tourists before to get them out of his way so he could hunt and these people would be no different.

He was finally in a position to see into the center of the clearing. Two young men stood there in front of a crackling fire, a shotgun at the taller one's feet. At the opposite side of the clearing from him he heard the bear's growling. He didn't know what these two were doing here but it was time to get rid of them so he could shoot the bear. He carefully removed his rifle from the long bag and loaded it. He then removed the small handgun and loaded that as well. Zipping the bag shut he left it and crawled closer, still unnoticed by those in the clearing, downwind of the bear's sensitive nose.

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"Sam," Dean said warningly, nodding towards the bear that was now advancing on them.

"She won't hurt us," Sam said, not knowing how he knew that. He just had a feeling.

"Like she didn't hurt your shoulder? Or knock your head into a rock?" Dean replied, slowly reaching into his pack for his gun.

"That was the ghost when it was confused," Sam said, and shook his head at Dean when his brother brought the gun out.

The bear was only a few feet away now. It growled and rose on its hind legs, sniffing the air. It looked at the slowly dying fire and a mournful cry left its mouth. Then it dropped back to all fours and slowly went up to Sam. Dean quietly slid the safety off and the click made the bear stop. Suddenly it growled, baring its teeth at the older brother. Dean was about to aim when Sam grabbed his arm.

"Don't. She won't harm us. She knows the ghost is gone. Please, Dean. We don't need to kill her; she's not about to kidnap hikers any more. If she lets me touch her, will you let her live?" Sam pleaded.

Dean stared at his brother. Was Sam serious? Then as he looked at the bear, which had made no threatening moves since Sam had stopped him from firing, and back to his brother, who had his best puppy dog look on his face, he realized that yes, Sam was being serious. He sighed. Then against his better judgment he clicked the safety back on and put the gun in his waistband.

"Fine, I won't shoot her, but you're not deliberately touching her either, and if she attacks then all bets are off."

Sam grinned and let go of his brother's arm, then turned to the bear. "You're free now. You can go; she won't be bothering you again. She's at peace." He said calmly in a gentle voice, holding out his hand.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Uh Sammy, I can understand you talking to a ghost of a person, but this is just an animal now. It's not going to understand you any more."

Sam shrugged. "I know, but well, you never know. Bears are smart anyway, and we kind of bonded."

Dean just shook his head as the bear grunted, sniffing at Sam's hand. Dean tensed at the sight of all those teeth so close to his brother, but the bear just snorted, and seemingly satisfied it turned away, starting to slowly lumber back the way it came.

Sam turned an "I told you so," look on his older brother, and Dean rolled his eyes again.

"All right, nature boy, you win. The bear lives and we go find your phone," Dean said, picking up the shovel and handing it to his brother. "You can bury the bones first though. I'd help, but I got thrown around a lot," he said.

He now had his brother's full attention. "Are you all right?" Sam asked.

"Fine, nothing a good night's sleep won't fix. But it's your turn to finish this," Dean said smugly.

Sam shook his head and smiled, setting to work.

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What the heck was going on? The poacher wondered. At first he'd thought the female was going to attack the tall boy, but then it left him alone. No matter, he'd just track the bear and shoot it when it was a sufficient distance away. He went back and picked up his bag, putting the gun back into it, and carried it and his rifle. He skirted the edge of the clearing, but cursed aloud when his foot stepped on a fallen branch, snapping it. He knew he'd been exposed when he heard the bear growl.

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"What was that?" Sam asked, pausing in his work.

"Sounded like a branch snapping and someone cursing," Dean replied, immediately taking out his gun.

Sam tamped the last bit of dirt in place and quickly put their supplies in his pack, and then checked to see the shotgun was ready. If it was the park official, he'd just say he and his brother were just following advice and being careful. He saw that the bear was heading back their way, its attention fixed on where the sound had come from.

The poacher didn't want to be chased through the woods so he stepped into the clearing, immediately bringing the rifle up and aiming it at the bear, which let out an angry roar. It began to head towards him when he heard the taller boy gasp.

The brothers saw a strange man walk into the clearing, holding a rifle. Sam's eyes widened and he gasped, as a memory, no a dream, flashed before his eyes.

"You!" he couldn't help but exclaim. "You're the one that killed the bear's cubs. You're a poacher! I saw it!"

Dean glanced at his brother, at first puzzled but then realizing that this must be the man in Sam's dream that shot the bear cubs.

The poacher cursed and swung his rifle around. He couldn't leave witnesses, the fines he'd receive would wipe him out and the animals in the State Park were protected; he might even receive jail time. He aimed his rifle at the tall boy and pulled the trigger.

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Sorry it's short, but I'll have the last part up this weekend, most is already written :) Thanks for reading, and have a great day!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Looks around, sighs dramatically. Nope, don't own them. Darn it.

A/N 2: Thanks again to friendly, Raven524, warrior of the shadow, prpleflipnhippo, Turner97, carocali, Ghostwriter, and Beautiful Ally for your reviews on the last chapter, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed this fic from the beginning. You all deserve cookies for putting up with the length of time between updates :) You all are the best, and kept me writing and wanting to finish this. Without further ado, here's the last chapter.

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Dean turned back to the man and watched with horror as the stranger fired on his brother. He brought his own gun up but knew he was too late; it had happened too fast. Things seemed to slow down in his sight, his cry of "NO!' sounded distorted in his ears. He heard the shot from the rifle after what seemed like forever, the shot that would take his brother from him. He heard something else as well, a loud moan and then saw something that made things speed up back to normal. The bear had charged, but it didn't charge the poacher, it ran in front of Sam and rose on its hind legs in front of the younger Winchester, completely covering him from the poacher's view. Then it snorted as its body jerked and it fell back down to lie on its side. Dean's eyes swept frantically over Sam, not seeing any blood or gaping holes in his brother's body.

"You son of a-" Sam said, furious.

He'd been frozen in shock when the rifle had been aimed and fired at him, and then the bear had been there, protecting him like he was her cub. He watched her fall and saw red. Within a few strides he was standing in front of the poacher. He balled his fist and swung for all he was worth. Yes, it went against his training, but he didn't care. He felt a grim satisfaction when his fist slammed into the man's face and he went down. The rifle clattered to the ground and the poacher hit the ground hard, unconscious.

"Sam!" Dean said, coming to stand at his side. "Are you all right?"

Sam shook out his hand. "I'm fine. But Dean, we have to call for help. The bear got shot instead of me. And we need someone to pick up this garbage and take it to jail." Sam replied, not sparing the poacher a second look at he hurried to the bear's side.

Reluctantly Dean put his gun away, Sam had taken care of the problem before he could shoot the sorry excuse for a man for daring to threaten his brother. He'd come too close to losing Sam this time. He nudged the man with his foot, but the poacher was out cold. He wanted to kick the man on general principles anyway, but pulled out his cell phone instead and called the park official, letting him know they had run into the poacher and that a bear had been shot.

"How is she?" he asked his brother when the official wanted to know.

Sam gently ran his hands over the dark fur, spotting some blood. He could still hear the bear's heart beating regularly, she was unconscious as well, but the blood wasn't pouring out of her.

"She's still alive; I think she just needs a vet." he replied, taking off his outer shirt and folding it up to press against the wound.

"We need a vet too, I think the bear will be okay," Dean said into the phone. He then nodded and ended the call.

"The police and vet and park official will be here soon. I still don't believe what happened," Dean said, shaking his head.

"I knew she wouldn't hurt us. She deserves a good life, and to be protected from poachers. You think maybe there's a zoo where she can go and be with other bears? Some of them have habitats that are just like it is in the wild, but no one can hurt the animals there." Sam said, looking up at his brother with shining eyes.

"Well, if there is a place she can go that will keep her safe, we'll do all we can to get her there," Dean said gruffly. He owed her, after all.

After a short while, the park official showed up with a woman and two officers.

Dean had happily tied up the poacher with rope he'd found in the man's own bag. He shook his head when he found pictures in there as well, of presumably poached animal heads adorning various rec room walls. There was even a picture of the poacher himself standing next to an obviously dead bear cub, one hand pointing to himself and the other pointing to the cub. The man was smiling in the picture, and Dean hoped he'd regain consciousness so he could hit him again. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the poacher, he didn't wake up before the others arrived.

Dean gave the pictures as evidence to the officers, as well as the man's rifle and his bag. They grimly nodded their thanks, untying the man and cuffing his wrists instead.

"He might be the one that shot at some of the tourists," one of the officers said. "Coming in here with a rifle like this is illegal. There's a pickup in the parking lot, I'm going to get a warrant to search it. Judging by these pictures he's carrying around, I have a feeling there's going to be enough evidence in there to put this guy away for a long time."

"Good," Dean said, looking over to where Sam and the woman were examining the bear.

"Will she be all right?" Sam asked, looking anxiously at the veterinarian. The woman nodded after a few moments.

"She's tough. It looks she has a scar under some fur here on her shoulder, see? I think she may have been shot before, and she recovered. There's a furrow along her side, she's probably just unconscious from the shock of it, but the bleeding is already slowing. She'll be fine," the vet said, smiling at Sam as she professionally dressed the wound with supplies from a kit she'd brought.

Sam smiled at her in relief. "Thank you," he said. "I don't even know your name."

"Ally," the woman said, shaking his hand after taking off the latex gloves she wore.

"Sam," he replied.

"Nice to meet you, Sam. I'm glad someone is on the bears' side. Unlike some slime I can mention," Ally said, shooting a venomous glance at the poacher, who was slowly groaning as he woke up.

"What do you think? Should we release her here or take her to your facility to heal?" the park official said to the vet as he came up to her.

"Is there a zoo or something she can go to where she'll be safe from poachers? I think she'll be okay with people," Sam quickly broke in.

Ally and the park official looked at him. Then the vet slowly nodded. "Actually, there is. There's been great success with polar bears at the San Diego Zoo, and I know of a new one that wants a female bear to mate with a male that they've got. They want to put a bear cam online in a natural habitat. She'd have a safe and full life." She turned to the official. "My facility then, I can give her something to sleep while we transport her."

The park official nodded and made a call.

The poacher shook his head as he awakened fully. He saw the officers holding his bag and thought about running, even though it would be awkward with his hands cuffed. Maybe he could even manage to come back and kill the young man who had identified him. Then he saw the shorter young man glaring at him, almost daring him to do it. He shivered, suddenly feeling more like hunted prey than a hunter. He went gladly with the officers instead, thinking he might be safer in jail than out where the dangerous-looking young man could get to him.

Sam patted the bear gently and whispered 'thank you' when no one was looking just before she was taken away. He felt Dean's hand on his shoulder briefly and then they made their way back to the Impala, promising to stop by the station and give a statement.

They didn't go, of course, but it turned out not to be necessary anyway, as for some reason the poacher told the police everything, even going so far as to give them evidence against him. Sam read about the arrest in the local paper the next day as they left town.

"Why do you suppose he cooperated with them?" he wondered aloud to his brother.

Dean gave a noncommittal snort. "No idea. Maybe he was just a big coward." he said, remembering the look he'd given the man, the look that promised death. No one threatened his brother and got away with it.

He grabbed a tape at random and put it in the player, and the long black car drove along the highway, one of Metallica's songs filling the comfortable silence.

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A few months later Dean emerged from another anonymous motel's bathroom clad in a towel. He looked over at the small table which held the laptop; Sam folded into a small chair in front of it. His brother seemed intent on the screen.

"Find our next gig?" he asked, removing the towel and pulling on a clean pair of shorts.

"Not yet, but look. Masha's pregnant with cubs," Sam said, turning around to grin at his brother.

"Oh yeah? Is she on now?" Dean asked with interest.

"Yeah, see?" Sam said excitedly.

Dean leaned in close to look; he saw a running stream and then a familiar brown shape sitting on the bank of the stream, feasting on a fish. The blurbs to the right of the cam on the zoo's website happily stated that they were expecting that there would be additions soon. He turned to grin at his brother.

Sam smiled back. "Hope you have a good life," he whispered to the screen. At Dean's raised eyebrow he punched his brother lightlyin the arm.

"Jerk," he said.

"Bitch," Dean responded, and the brothers watched the bear fish for a little while longer in companionable silence.

The End.

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Thanks so much for sticking with this for so long. I truly appreciate the time you took to review. And I do have a couple other story ideas, but this time I think I'll write them all out first before I post :) Hope you all have a most wonderful day or night. Bye!


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